Willsky

2023 Elite Series Winner: Chojiro Kitoaji 2023 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up: Seiji Jimbo Most Points (Group Stage): Seiji Jimbo Will any wrestler end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?). NO Biggest Surprise Package: Aaron Knight Biggest Upset: Mutant beats Jimbo in their block match

Enjoying all the updates recently. Harsh by Makiguchi to do the dirty on Kitoaji with the new team name. Looking forward to their eventual smash together! Also, what's the deal with Nawasaka... he just went straight back to BHOTWG?

Figo's retirement was a real blow. He's one of my favourites in the CVerse and I had huge plans for him!

THE SUPERIOR PARTNER Among all the drama and excitement of the Elite Tag Series 1999, one team stood out. The combination of the two founding icons of PGHW, the men who battled for over two years for the Glory Crown, Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji. Between them, they shared three Glory Crown reigns and a Glory Tag Crown reign, when Ichihara held the tag titles alongside Mamoru Nagahama for eight months. Despite being new partners, they did well to advance from a very competitive block, but fell just short at the semi-final stage as Team EXPLOSION defeated them. Still, the pair of legends enjoyed their run together. But would it continue? And how would the rejected Mamoru Nagahama feel about his long-term team mate opting for Kitoaji? Night of KINGS, October 1999 The three men in question, Hito Ichihara, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama competed in a six-man tag match against Glory Crown champion Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall). The story of the match was told by who Ichihara tagged in to the match. It was notable that he included Nagahama in the early portions of the match when everyone was still fresh and feeling each other out. But when things picked up, Ichihara brought in Kitoaji. The veteran may have suffered a steep decline throughout the year, but he could handle himself against adversity, and with Nobuatsu Tatsuko on the other side of the ring, there was plenty of physical and personal conflict. But Tatsuko was too strong. He had Kitoaji in serious trouble, and he had to tag out. To Nagahama. The youngster rampaged into the match and turned the tide in his team’s favour, finally getting the pinfall victory on Dino Maldini. It was a huge moment for the youngster and after the match he had some words for Ichihara and Kitoaji, for the first time in his career showing some real steel. Nagahama: Ichihara, you made a mistake at the Elite Tag Series. You should have teamed with me. We have been successful together. You can rely on me. Kitoaji may have a great reputation, but he is on the way down. I am on the way up. Want me to prove it? Kitoaji, at Night of IMPACT, let’s wrestle. I’ll defeat you in singles competition and prove I am the better tag partner! Night of IMPACT, October 1999 Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama wrestled in singles competition for the third time ever. The first time was somewhat controversial. Not the match itself, but the reason for the match existing. It was late 1997 with Kitoaji in full control of the Glory Crown. He was picking his challengers and controversially chose Nagahama who had done little to earn the shot. Kitoaji won comfortably and irritated those who wanted to see the likes of Nobuatsu Tatsuko challenge for the belt. The second encounter came in early 1999, with Kitoaji overcoming Nagahama again, although it was much less one-sided. And at this show, Night of IMPACT, there was even less of a difference. Nagahama had improved greatly since their initial battle over two years ago while Kitoaji had been in decline all year. Still, Kitoaji managed to squeeze out a victory, using his ring-awareness to escape a submission by rope-break and get a clever roll-up pin. Nagahama was furious after the loss, while Kitoaji looked exhausted. Night of COURAGE, November 1999 Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama found themselves in the same six-man tag match again, but this time on opposite teams. Kitoaji teamed with Yodo Nakane and Fukusaburu Inao while Nagahama had Walter Morgan and young lion Noriyori Sanda with him. The experience of Nakane and Kitoaji suggested they would come out on top, but some fiery performances from all of Nagahama’s team made a serious difference. Mamoru Nagahama won the match for his team, submitting Nakane with a Nagahama Guillotine. Again, Nagahama showed his attitude had changed by immediately getting in Kitoaji’s face. Moments later, he had a microphone in hand. Nagahama: You scraped a lucky win over me last time out. I know that’s not good enough for you, and it certainly isn’t good enough for me. You proved nothing. I’m still the better partner and the better man. So face me again, and let’s do it at Night of WRESTLING and this time, I’ll choke you out just like I did to Nakane. Night of ENDURANCE, November 1999 Leading up to Night of WRESTLING, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama once again did battle, although their time together in the ring was very limited. It was an eight-man tag. Nagahama teamed with Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) while Kitoaji was with none other than Hito Ichihara and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara). Seeing Ichihara and Kitoaji on the same team against him only made Nagahama more incensed. He put in a spirited performance and again walked away as the finisher of the match, choking out Okazawaya with the Nagahama Guillotine. After the bell had rung, Kitoaji was quick to stand up to Nagahama. The pair touched foreheads and Ichihara had to step between them to stop things getting worse. Kitoaji spoke in the post-show press conference. Kitoaji: Nagahama is a young man who is discovering himself. It’s interesting to draw parallels between him and Tatsuko. They both started quiet, humble, and hard-working. Tatsuko broke out of that, in no small part due to his rivalry with me, and now look at him. It looks like Nagahama might be following a similar path. But the thing is, there’s a difference between Tatsuko and Nagahama. I’ll beat Nagahama at Night of WRESTLING. And when I do, Ichihara will only consider me as a viable tag partner. Because Tatsuko is destined for greatness. Nagahama is destined for mediocrity.

THE SAME OLD STORY The relationship between Team Dynasty members Shuji Inukai and Yoshimi Mushashibo had always been complex. Their bond was extremely tight, but disagreements were common. On several occasions they had fallen out, resorted to conflict in the ring, then resolve their problems afterwards. The latest problem was the same old story. Shuji Inukai wanted to succeed in the tag division, but Mushashibo wanted to focus on other priorities as well. Back in 1997, Mushashibo defeated Inukai to maintain his position of splitting his time between singles and tag competition. Inukai reluctantly agreed, and the pair actually went on to win the Elite Tag Series and then the Glory Tag Crown. But even that victory had been marred by its nature, with Inukai bending the rules to counter Team STRENGTH RUSH doing the same. When they lost the Glory Tag Crown, they both pursued singles success and had since failed to win any tag gold. But at the Elite Tag Series 1999, Shuji Inukai wanted to win. Unfortunately for him, Yoshimi Mushashibo had gone through some intense months, defending his Historical Japan title on nearly 40 occasions. In the Elite Tag Series, he looked exhausted and Team Dynasty couldn’t qualify from their block. It was a sorry state of affairs for one of the best tag teams in PGHW history, and Inukai made his feelings known. With the formation of Kumasaka-buntai, of which both Inukai and Mushashibo were integral parts, Inukai had other options for success. But what were his priorities now? And could Mushashibo continue to be a singles star and keep his friendship with Inukai alive? Night of KINGS, October 1999 Yoshimi Mushashibo’s run of defending the Historical Japan title one every show including tours had come to an end, understandably. He simply couldn’t keep up that kind of schedule. But he committed to defending the oldest active title belt in the world on every major show. At Night of KINGS, he faced Takeshi Umehara. Umehara had suffered issues with his tag team partner too. Boundary 97 had divided and Umehara’s partner Go Matsunaga had left to join SAISHO where he would help train the stars of tomorrow. That left Umehara seeking singles success. This was not his night, though, as Mushashibo showed his technical talents once again, submitting Umehara with the Yoshimi Lock. Also on the show, Shuji Inukai teamed up with fellow Kumasaka-buntai team-mates Tommy Cornell and Walter Morgan. The trio put in a great performance to beat Yodo Nakane and Team STRENGTH RUSH. Night of IMPACT, October 1999 Yoshimi Mushashibo’s next challenger was another wrestler whose tag team had fallen apart. Fukusaburu Inao. On this occasion it was Inao who had initiated the break-up, claiming Hayate Hasegawa had been holding him back. Hasegawa also departed for SAISHO. Inao’s luck was no different to Umehara’s. Mushashibo was several steps up the food chain and finished off Inao with another Yoshimi Lock. Shuji Inukai once again partnered with Tommy Cornell and Walter Morgan in the main event, taking on Dread and Team STRENGTH RUSH. Their opponents this time were too much to handle and Kumasaka-buntai ended up losing, with Dread pinning Morgan. Night of COURAGE, November 1999 Shuji Inukai teamed up with Danger Kumasaka to face Team STRENGTH RUSH. Although Inukai and Kumasaka had never really seen eye-to-eye, they had brilliant chemistry together and rarely slipped up. They overcame Wright & Diaz. Yoshimi Mushashibo took on Dino Maldini, with the Historical Japan title once again on the line. It was a brilliant match. One of the best in PGHW history. Mushashibo looked absolutely incredible and Dino Maldini showed how much he had developed alongside Pistol Pete Hall. On multiple occasions it looked like Maldini might get the victory, but finally Mushashibo applied the Yoshimi Lock, getting the submission victory. After the match, Shuji Inukai came out to join Mushashibo in the ring. He had a microphone. Inukai: A month ago, I said that I wished you had never won the Historical Japan title. And you know why. Not because I want to deny your success, but because I want us to share it. We have always been together. But you have made it so difficult. You always think of yourself first, when I think of the team. I’ve been teaming with the Kumasaka-buntai guys for the last few months, doing my best to make our group successful. Now it’s time for me to prioritise myself. If I can’t win championships WITH you, I’ll have to win singles gold. AGAINST you. At Night of WRESTLING, Yoshimi, in one month’s time, I want that Historical Japan title. Night of ENDURANCE, November 1999 At the last show before Night of WRESTLING, Shuji Inukai wanted to get a singles victory ahead of his match against Mushashibo for the Historical Japan title. He faced Yodo Nakane, a veteran who had suffered a pretty torrid year, declining physically and competitively. Inukai beat him fairly comfortably, using the deadly Untouchable Lariat, which nobody had ever kicked out of. Yoshimi Mushashibo, meanwhile, defended the Historical Japan title again, this time against SAISHO graduate Noriyori Sanda. Sanda had recently come back from a two-year excursion in Canada and hoped to make an impact in PGHW. He performed admirably in defeated. Nobody expected him to win, but many were impressed by his energy. He was already being seen as a future champion. However, this time he submitted to the Yoshimi Lock. In the post-show press conference, Mushashibo was typically pensive. Mushashibo: It is a shame Shuji feels the way he does. I thought we had put this kind of thing behind us, come to an agreement. Apparently not. It’s the same old story from him. But I am happy to face him at Night of WRESTLING. He did not need to make this about him and me, but simply about two wrestlers competing over one of the greatest prizes in this sport. That’s how I see it. He wants me to change, to be more like him. To be a tag wrestler above all else. That is not who I am, and he will not change me.

Night of HONOUR 1999 Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 1: Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) vs. Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 2: Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) vs. Hito Ichihara & Koryusai Kitoaji Mamoru Nagahama vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title Chuichi Sanda, Yodo Nakane and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Tommy Cornell, Walter Morgan and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread Nobuatsu Tatsuko © vs. Shuji Inukai for the Glory Crown title Winner of Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 2 for the Elite Tag Series ANNOUNCEMENT PGHW started the show with Sadaharu Jimbo greeting the crowd and making an announcement about the condition of one of its biggest stars. Luis Figo Manico had been on the shelf with a posterior cruciate ligament tear for six months. Jimbo explained that the injury had suffered serious complications and that Figo would no longer be able to wrestle. His retirement from the ring was official from this moment forward. Jimbo said PGHW would continue to support Figo financially as per the conditions of his contract. For now, Figo was spending time with his family and friends in Spain and would soon step into the role of Head Booker of UCR in his home country. MATCH 1: Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 1: Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) vs. Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) Reigning Glory Tag Crown champions Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) recently surpassed the record for longest reign with the belts and were set to make it a full year at the top of the division. Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) held the record that was broken. They had the chance to protect their honour, challenging for the tag titles at Night of WARRIORS, but failed to do so. Now they were looking for revenge, and winning the Elite Tag Series was a good place to start. Team MYTHOS dominated Block A, winning all five of their matches, while Team STRENGTH RUSH finished second, having lost to Team EXPLOSION in the final round. Both teams brought intensity and the tension between them underlied the whole match. Lee Wright found himself struggling. His physical condition was on the wane and his cunning experience could only get him so far. He had to rely on the power and dominance of Raymond Diaz to stay competitive. And Diaz was effective. It was probably the best performance of his career so far, single-handedly battering McFly and Miwa and looking every bit the young Dread that people saw in him. However, Miwa and McFly had ruled the tag division for a year thanks to their refusal to give in combined with their excellent chemistry. They surged back into the match and focused on isolating Lee Wright. When they did that, Diaz helplessly watched his veteran partner get hit by the Pride Bomber and pinned. Team MYTHOS won and advanced to the final! It was an incredible match that had the crowd on their feet in appreciation. MATCH 2: Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 2: Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) vs. Hito Ichihara & Koryusai Kitoaji One of the big questions about this year’s Elite Tag Series was “how far could Ichihara & Kitoaji go?” Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji had made it out of a very competitive Block A, surpassing Team Dynasty. Now they came up against former Glory Tag Crown champions Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu). At Night of GLORY, Kunomasu and Ichihara had done battle, with the veteran Ichihara narrowly coming out on top. For Kunomasu it was a serious blow since many of his young peers overcame the old guard on that show. The story of this match was the conflict of two brilliant individuals against a well-oiled machine. Ichihara and Kitoaji had only been tagging together for a couple of months and, although they knew each other well from their storied rivalry, they were still getting used to each other as partners. Team EXPLOSION, in contrast, had been a team since the very inception of PGHW over three years ago. Yes, they had spent time away from each other and even in conflict, but they knew exactly how to get the best out of each other. This was the decisive factor. While Ichihara and Kitoaji on their own were superior to Hoshino and Kunomasu as individuals, timing and communication more than compensated. Hoshino and Kunomasu made smart and frequent tags to keep fresh and managed to isolate their opponents, wearing them down. Kitoaji had a wild flurry at the end of the match, hitting a Kitoaji Braindrop on Kunomasu, but he didn’t realise that Kunomasu had already tagged out and Hoshino was the legal man. Hoshino hit the Godzilla Plunge to win the match. Team EXPLOSION advanced to the Elite Tag Series final! MATCH 3: Mamoru Nagahama vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title Mamoru Nagahama challenged Yoshimi Mushashibo for the Historical Japan title a month ago, with Mushashibo emerging victorious. But during the Elite Tag Series, in which they shared a block, Mushashibo deemed Nagahama worthy of a rematch. Nagahama tried to prove him right and pick up his first singles gold in PGHW, but he got caught in the Yoshimi Lock and tapped out. Despite his victory, Mushashibo still looked tired, a result of a manic schedule defending the belt nearly 40 times in a couple of months and going through a gruelling Elite Tag Series tournament. MATCH 4: Chuichi Sanda, Yodo Nakane and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Tommy Cornell, Walter Morgan and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) Three of the teams who performed admirably in the Elite Tag Series (and Sanda and Nakane) wrestled not for the tournament, but for pride. It was a fun match in which Pistol Pete Hall got the win with a Pistol Whip Lariat on Sotatsu Sarumara. MATCH 5: Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread At Night of TOUGHNESS, Dread suffered defeat in a six-man tag match against Danger Kumasaka, Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Shuji Inukai. The big man wanted revenge for that loss and, with Tatsuko and Inukai in action later, Danger Kumasaka was the only man left to take out his frustrations on. And he did just that. Kumasaka was smart, trying to chop down the big man and manipulate him on the mat, but Dread easily fended him off and smashed him with big move after big move. In the end a Dread Bomb put the veteran away, although Dread’s expression didn’t suggest he had reduced his level of anger at all. MATCH 6: Nobuatsu Tatsuko © vs. Shuji Inukai for the Glory Crown Shuji Inukai had impressed Nobuatsu Tatsuko in the last couple of months as the pair were successful in multi-man matches. Tatsuko had promised Inukai a shot at the Glory Crown when Inukai was next available. With Team Dynasty out of the Elite Tag Series, Inukia was now free. Tatsuko had proved himself as a relentless, unstoppable force that could keep attacking without letting up seemingly forever. Shuji Inukai had shown he could hang on under serious pressure, absorbing endless punishment and always battle back. The unstoppable force versus the immovable object. This match played out the dynamic with Tatsuko on top for long periods. His typical intensity would have finished off anyone else in under twenty minutes, but Inukai was made of different stuff. Inukai took the punishment and managed to kick out of a Tatsuko Driller, something that shocked the audience. Then he battled back. Dazed and beaten, yes, but that didn’t halt his determination. He had Tatsuko on the back foot for a few minutes before setting up the Untouchable Lariat, a move that nobody had ever kicked out of. But Tatsuko saw it coming. He dodged the swinging arm and reversed into another Tatsuko Driller. This time Inukai couldn’t kick out and the referee counted to three. Nobuatsu Tatsuko retained the Glory Crown. MAIN EVENT: Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) vs. Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) Two of the favourites to win the Elite Tag Series met in the final. Team MTYHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) won the tournament last year and then came out victorious in the subsequent Glory Tag Crown title match. They still held the belts from that victory nearly a year ago. Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) competed in the first ever Elite Tag Series final, losing that time to Team Dynasty. They were former Glory Tag Crown champions, but over the last year had not teamed as regularly as usual due to personal divisions between them. However, those wounds had been mended and they were the back to their best. The match began with Kunomasu squaring off against Sean McFly. The action was electric, with McFly’s flurries of rapid offence punctuated by devastating, precise strikes and slams by Kunomasu. When Miwa and Hoshino tagged in, things went up another notch. Eisaku Hoshino was still resenting his big singles loss to Shuji Inukai at Night of GLORY and was out to prove everyone he was the most violent, the most durable and the most tenacious. Miwa, on the other hand, was proud and forceful. He had become one of the very elite performers in PGHW and he knew it. He showed some disdain for the imprecision and ruggedness of Hoshino, but couldn’t deny the savagery with which Hoshino went at him. Miwa was right to be confident. Team MYTHOS had only ever lost one match as a duo and that was over a year ago at the Elite Tag Series 1998. He expected to win. And that was his downfall. A hint of complacency from the Pride Warrior, or just a denial of the obvious danger Team EXPLOSION presented, but when Hoshino and Kunomasu started taking control, instead of tagging out, he continued to battle, believing he could handle it. But by the time he realised their quick tags and good teamwork were too much for him, it was too late. He made the tag to Sean McFly who got immediately isolated and pummelled. Miwa charged back into the match later on, but he had suffered too much and McFly was in a bad way. Hoshino and Kunomasu hit the Eisaku Explosion on McFly and Hoshino pinned him for the win. Team EXPLOSION won the Elite Tag Series 1999! Conclusion Night of HONOUR may have been the best show in PGHW history. There were no weak matches and it contained three absolute classic matches, including the main event Elite Tag Series match which was immediately considered the best tag team match in the company’s history. And the opener was the second best. Team MYTHOS were involved in both and received a lot of plaudits for their performances, despite their loss in the final. Team EXPLOSION, meanwhile, came out looking incredible. The other great match was Tatsuko against Inukai which, if it hadn’t been on a show with two other amazing bouts, would have been heralded as a match of the year contender. After the show, the loser of that match, Shuji Inukai had some comments for the press conference. Inukai: Tonight was a bad night for me. It is hard to get an opportunity to fight for the Glory Crown. I have challenged every champion and fallen short. That is hard to stomach. But what irritates me more is the fact that I should have been competing in the Elite Tag Series tournament tonight. But me and Yoshimi didn’t qualify from the block. Yes, it was a tough group, but we have prevailed through similar difficulties. We won the first instalment of the tournament. We reached the final last year. We should be competing at the very top, not finishing third. And I know why. This is going to be hard to hear, but it’s the truth. It’s the same old story. Yoshimi Mushashibo refuses to dedicate his time and energy to Team Dynasty. He has been more concerned about the Historical Japan title over the last few months. How many times did he defend it? Forty? Fifty? Too many. He is tired. Exhausted. Anyone would be with that kind of schedule. Fine, he is representing the belt well. But what about me? What about Team Dynasty? If he wasn’t Historical Japan champion, we would have won the Elite Tag Series. But as it is, I sit here empty handed.

Night of HONOUR, 1999 Match Card Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 1: Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) vs. Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 2: Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) vs. Hito Ichihara & Koryusai Kitoaji Mamoru Nagahama vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title Chuichi Sanda, Yodo Nakane and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Tommy Cornell, Walter Morgan and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread Nobuatsu Tatsuko © vs. Shuji Inukai for the Glory Crown title Winner of Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Elite Tag Series Semi-Final 2 for the Elite Tag Series

ELITE TAG SERIES 1999 Another strong set of teams would contest the Elite Tag Series in its third instalment. The first winners of the trophy, Team Dynasty would take part, as would the winners of the 1998 tournament and still reigning Glory Tag Crown champions, Team MYTHOS. And those two teams would collide in the block stage as the two favourites to advance. Fans were already salivating at the prospect of a rematch between the finalists of last year’s competition and the teams that contested one of the company’s greatest ever tag matches. Other massive contenders in Block A were the newly formed team of icons: Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji. While they had only just come together, the two most successful wrestlers in PGHW were many people’s picks to advance. Slightly behind them in the odds was Strike Force who had impressed together but were yet to find real success. Could this be their breakout moment? And behind them, Nagahama and Nakane could cause an upset and Hasegawa & Inao would likely struggle. BLOCK A: Hayate Hasegawa & Fukusaburu Inao Hito Ichihara & Koryusai Kitoaji Mamoru Nagahama & Yodo Nakane Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) Team Dynasty (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) On paper Block B looked slightly weaker. Two teams stood high above the rest: Team EXPLOSION and Team STRENGTH RUSH. Both former Glory Tag Crown champions who fought over the belts throughout 1997. Since then, their tag exploits had fallen away somewhat, but they could be confident of a spot in the semi-finals. Behind them, Cornell & Morgan would hope to impress. While they might not be expected to qualify, there was an outside chance for the young Englishmen. Much better odds than Mitsushi & Sanda, Rebel Cell or Boundary 97 who would all compete to get whatever points they could manage. BLOCK B: Boundary 97 Cornell & Morgan Mitsushi & Sanda Rebel Cell Team EXPLOSION Team STRENGTH RUSH PGHW Elite Tag Series DAY 1 Block A Results Team Dynasty def. Nagahama & Nakane Ichihara & Kitoaji def. Hasegawa & Inao Team MYTHOS def. Strike Force Team Dynasty and Ichihara & Kitoaji picked up expected wins to start the tournament well. The main event of the show saw Team MYTHOS face Strike Force in a close match. The Glory Tag Crown champions got the win thanks to a Pride Bomber from Mito Miwa. The match was good, but not quite at the level of their title match from a few months ago. Block B Results Cornell & Morgan def. Rebel Cell Team STRENGTH RUSH def. Boundary 97 Team EXPLOSION def. Sanda & Mitsushi In last year’s tournament, Team STRENGTH RUSH defeated Boundary 97 in the first round of matches. The same happened this time, with the former two-time Glory Tag Crown champions getting a routine win. Cornell and Morgan started strong, defeating Rebel Cell. Team EXPLOSION were at their best, although their opponents were hardly a major challenge. They beat the thrown-together team of Sanda & Mitsushi when Kunomasu hit a Launching Knee Strike. PGHW Elite Tag Series DAY 2 Block A Results Strike Force def. Nagahama & Nakane Team MYTHOS def. Hasegawa & Inao Team Dynasty and Ichihara & Kitoaji went to a time-limit draw. Strike Force got their first points of the tournament, defeating Nagahama and Nakane who were close to getting a result. Team MYTHOS defeated Hasegawa & Inao with ease. Everybody wanted to see Ichihara & Kitoaji face Team Dynasty, and the two teams did not disappoint, putting on the best match of the tournament so far and sharing the points when thirty minutes expired. Block B Results Team STRENGTH RUSH def. Cornell & Morgan Rebel Cell def. Sanda & Mitsushi Team EXPLOSION def. Boundary 97 Team STRENGTH RUSH continued their good start to the tournament with a close-fought victory over Cornell & Morgan, the latter of which were disappointed not to get a result. Rebel Cell got a rare victory, overcoming the quite disappointing duo of Sanda & Mitsushi. It was becoming a theme in Block B: half the block were performing well, the other half were pretty poor. Team EXPLOSION demolished Boundary 97 when Hoshino hit the Godzilla Plunge on Umehara. PGHW Elite Tag Series DAY 3 Block A Results Team Dynasty def. Hasegawa & Inao Team MYTHOS def. Nagahama & Nakane Ichihara & Kitoaji def. Strike Force Team MYTHOS made it three wins from three when they defeated Nagahama & Nakane, who were yet to score a point. Also winless were Hasegawa & Inao who lost to Team Dynasty. The main event of Ichihara & Kitoaji vs. Strike Force didn’t live up to the expectations of the crowd. The legends got the victory, but it was clear Kitoaji couldn’t wrestle like he could a year ago. Fortunately their win ended the match on a high note. Block B Results Team STRENGTH RUSH def. Sanda & Mitsushi Cornell & Morgan def. Boundary 97 Team EXPLOSION def. Rebel Cell Team STRENGTH RUSH and Cornell & Morgan both got fairly routine wins over poor opponents and now Wright & Diaz were in a strong position to qualify. Rebel Cell, to their credit, performed admirably in the face of two dangerous opponents in Team EXPLOSION. Ultimately Hoshino and Kunomasu won, but at least Rebel Cell had shown some steel, which was more than could be said about the other two struggling teams in the block. Mid-point round-up Block A Table 6 Team MYTHOS 5 Ichihara & Kitoaji 5 Team Dynasty 2 Strike Force 0 Hasegawa & Inao 0 Nagahama & Nakane Block B Table 6 Team EXPLOSION 6 Team STRENGTH RUSH 4 Cornell & Morgan 2 Rebel Cell 0 Boundary 97 0 Sanda & Mitsushi PGHW Elite Tag Series DAY 4 Block A Results Strike Force def. Hasegawa & Inao Ichihara & Kitoaji def. Nagahama & Nakane Team MYTHOS def. Team Dynasty Things were getting tight at the top of Block A with three teams in the running for the 2 qualifying spots. Strike Force’s victory over Hasegawa & Inao kept them momentarily in contention, but later results put them out of contention. Mamoru Nagahama had a point to prove when he went up against Hito Ichihara. Nagahama and Ichihara had been long term tag partners, winning the Glory Tag Crown together, but Ichihara ditched Nagahama to team up with old rival Kitoaji. Unfortunately for Nagahama, Ichihara’s decision was proven right as the icons came away with the victory. In the main event, Team Dynasty hoped to leapfrog Team MYTHOS and secure top spot, but the reigning tag champions had other ideas. Mito Miwa hit a Pride Bomber on Yoshimi Mushashibo to win. Mushashibo seemed a little fatigued at the end of the match. Block B Results Team STRENGTH RUSH def. Rebel Cell Team EXPLOSION and Cornell & Morgan went to a time-limit draw. Boundary 97 def. Sanda & Mitsushi Once again Rebel Cell looked good in defeat, missing out to Team STRENGTH RUSH who made it four from four and assured qualification from the block. Team EXPLOSION would have to wait for that achievement as they couldn’t get the better of Cornell & Morgan, with the young Brits surviving to a time-limit draw. And Boundary 97 got some points on the board, defeating the woeful pair of Sanda & Mitsushi. PGHW Elite Tag Series DAY 5 Block A Results Nagahama & Nakane def. Hasegawa & Inao Team Dynasty and Strike Force went to a time-limit draw Team MYTHOS def. Ichihara & Kitoaji Nagahama & Nakane got their first win by beating Hasegawa & Inao. Fukusaburu Inao was furious after the match, having lost all 5 of their block fixtures. He said he was done with “old” Hasegawa and claimed the veteran was holding him back. Team Dynasty needed two points or they would fail to qualify. They came up against a strong Strike Force who pushed them to the limit. Mushashibo’s condition was pivotal. The Historical Japan champion looked exhausted and he couldn’t act decisively enough, and the match hit the time-limit. Shuji Inukai did not look pleased. Team MYTHOS made it 100% in the block by beating Ichihara & Kitoaji, handing the new iconic team their first defeat. The legends wouldn’t mind too much, though, as they qualified from the block. Block B Results Rebel Cell def. Boundary 97 Cornell & Morgan def. Sanda & Mitsushi Team EXPLOSION def. Team STRENGTH RUSH Rebel Cell got their second win of the tournament, and finished on a respectable four points. Cornell & Morgan also finished well, defeating Sanda & Mitsushi who scored no points from the five matches. Indeed, Mitsushi’s record for 1999 was still to be adorned by a W. Team EXPLOSION needed at least a point to definitively qualify ahead of Cornell & Morgan and they did one better, getting the victory over old rivals Team STRENGTH RUSH. That meant Hoshino & Kunomasu topped Block B. FINAL STANDINGS Block A Table 10 Team MYTHOS 7 Ichihara & Kitoaji 6 Team Dynasty 5 Strike Force 2 Nagahame & Nakane 0 Hasegawa & Inao Block B Table 9 Team EXPLOSION 8 Team STRENGTH RUSH 7 Cornell & Morgan 4 Rebel Cell 2 Boundary 97 0 Sanda & Mitsushi Conclusion The Elite Tag Series 1999 highlighted a clear division between the top-level tag teams and those lower down the card. There were very few upsets and four teams failed to impress. This was reflected in some later changes to those teams, with Fukusaburu ditching Hasegawa and Boundary 97 also deciding to part ways. Sanda & Mitsushi and Nagahama & Nakane were only temporary alliances and neither thought it a good idea to continue tagging. Rebel Cell stepped up to the next level. They were still a way off the top teams, but it showed that their consistency as a tag team and their devotion to the division was beginning to pay off. Cornell & Morgan also impressed, only missing out on qualification by a single point. Strike Force and Team Dynasty had disappointing tournaments. Strike Force once again couldn’t get it done against the big teams and Yoshimi Mushashibo’s fatigue (likely due to defending the Historical Japan title so frequently) cost his team dearly. Nobody was surprised to see Team EXPLOSION and Team STRENGTH RUSH qualify from Block B, while Team MYTHOS were the only ones to win every single match. Ichihara & Kitoaji performed quite well and only a fool would rule them out of going and winning the whole thing. At Night of HONOUR, the semi-finals would be: Team EXPLOSION vs. Ichihara & Kitoaji and Team MYTHOS vs. Team STRENGTH RUSH.

RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN Team MYTHOS were approaching the record. Mito Miwa and Sean McFly had held the PGHW Glory Tag Crown titles for eight months and should they keep them another month they would surpass Team STRENGTH RUSH’s nine-month milestone. During that time, Miwa and McFly had beaten every team in the company. Not only that but they had made the Glory Tag Crown titles a massive part of the company, propelling the division to heights it had never seen before. Classic matches against Team Dynasty, Strike Force and, most recently, Tommy Cornell and Walter Morgan had made the championships the highlight of every show. They showed no signs of stopping. But one team wouldn’t want them to continue. One pair of men who held the current record: Lee Wright and Raymond Diaz, the inaugural Glory Tag Crown champions and two-time holders of the belts – Team STRENGTH RUSH Night of STRENGTH, June 1999 Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) had been on a hot streak of late, getting good wins over a number of teams. They had the opportunity to get themselves in serious tag title contention at Night of STRENGTH as they teamed with Koryusai Kitoaji and Tommy Cornell to take on Hito Ichihara, Mamoru Nagahama and Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly). It was an enjoyable match with plenty of egos jostling. But most importantly for the tag division, it was Team STRENGTH RUSH who came out on top, with Raymond Diaz pinning Mamoru Nagahama after a Too Hot to Handle. After the match, Wright & Diaz made it quite clear they wanted to stop Team MYTHOS from breaking their record and challenged them to a match at Night of WARRIORS – exactly nine months from when the reigning champions had won the belt. Night of WARRIORS, July 1999 The stakes were high. If Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) defeated Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) to defend their Glory Tag Crown titles, they would break Team STRENGTH RUSH’s longest reign record. As expected, Wright & Diaz weren’t about to let that happen without a serious fight. And that’s what they gave. Intensity, aggression and a willingness to bend the rules. This latter was unusual in PGHW where everybody followed Sadaharu Jimbo’s mantra of “do the right thing”. But Lee Wright especially hadn’t been afraid of testing those limits before and on this occasion, too much was on the line. He threw cheap shots while not the legal man and took his time getting out of the ring when Diaz had tagged in. The referee gave him two warnings and threatened disqualification on a third. As a result he behaved. Throughout this, Miwa and McFly had done their very best to ignore the underhanded tactics and now they rampaged into the match, targeting Lee Wright and trying to keep the more powerful Diaz out of the action. This strategy proved successful. Mito Miwa managed to hit the Pride Bomber on Wright and get the three count. Team MYTHOS defended the Glory Tag Crown titles and broke the record for the longest reign! Night of VICTORY, July 1999 In the heat of summer, Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) took part in a trios main event. They teamed with Glory Crown champion Nobuatsu Tatsuko against Danger Kumasaka, Shuji Inukai and Tommy Cornell. Danger Kumasaka had taken a number of talents under his wing: Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, Walter Morgan and, most recently, Tommy Cornell. The group had become large enough that it deserved a name. Suggested by Yoshimi Mushashibo, the group was called Kumasaka-buntai. The three of its members started the faction off well in this main event. Danger Kumasaka gave Tatsuko a hard time on the mat, while Shuji Inukai stood out with his intensity and aggression. He hit the Untouchable Lariat on Sean McFly to earn his team the victory. After the show, two matches were made. Nobuatsu Tatsuko challenged Danger Kumasaka, with the Glory Crown on the line, while Team MYTHOS offered Inukai and Cornell a chance at the Glory Tag Crown titles. Both matches were made for Night of LEGACY. Night of LEGACY, August 1999 Over 44,000 fans packed into the arena in Kyoto to watch, amongst other things, Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) defend the Glory Tag Crown titles against Shuji Inukai and Tommy Cornell, representing Kumasaka-buntai. Some thought Team MYTHOS might ease off after becoming longest-reigning tag champions of all time, but they were wrong. Despite Inukai’s relentless intensity and Cornell’s variety of attacks, the champions held on. Sean McFly hit the Delorean Driver on Cornell for Team MYTHOS to retain the Glory Tag Crown. At Night of TOUGHNESS, an eight-man main event involving Team MYTHOS was announced, meaning the champions would head into the Elite Tag Series with the Glory Tag Crown titles. Night of TOUGHNESS, August 1999 Tag team wrestling had come a long way since the inception of PGHW over three years ago. The Elite Tag Series was hotly anticipated, with many fine teams taking part. Four of them were in action in the main event of Night of TOUGHNESS. Glory Tag Crown champions Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) teamed with Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) to take on Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) and Hito Ichihara & Koryusai Kitoaji. It was a fierce match. All four teams wanted to build some momentum going into the Elite Tag Series. It was not the tag champions who came out successful, though. Instead, Team EXPLOSION looked strongest, with Hoshino pinning Dino Maldini. At the end of the show, the blocks for Elite Tag Series were announced: BLOCK A: Hasegawa & Inao Ichihara & Kitoaji Nagahama & Nakane Strike Force Team Dynasty Team MYTHOS BLOCK B: Boundary 97 Cornell & Morgan Mitsushi & Sanda Rebel Cell Team EXPLOSION Team STRENGTH RUSH

THE GLORIOUS CHAMPION Nobuatsu Tatsuko had finally done it. After two years of adversity and harsh lessons, the young prodigy got his hands on the PGHW Glory Crown, becoming the first of the new wave and the pillars of PGHW to do so, breaking the dominance of the old guard. It had not been easy. It took three attempts to get there, having lost to Koryusai Kitoaji at Night of GLORY 1998, then to Dread at Night of RESPECT at the beginning of 1999. Now, six months after that defeat, Tatsuko had overcome Dread and redeemed himself. And along the way he had changed. Gone was the grim, quiet young man who kept his head down and waited for destiny to catch hold of him. Now he was a force of nature. He had caught hold of destiny and forced it to do his bidding. Now the question was, would he keep up that aggression and intensity as champion, or would he cool down and act with more decorum? The first few months of his reign would be telling. Night of STRENGTH, June 1999 Nobuatsu Tatsuko’s first match since winning the Glory Crown was a six-man tag match in which he teamed with Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) to defeat Dino Maldini and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara). After his victory at Night of GLORY, Tatsuko described the four pillars of PGHW: himself, Shuji Inukai, Mito Miwa and Yoshimi Mushashibo. Notable by their absence from his list were Eisaku Hoshino and Eisaku Kunomasu. Many, including the two Eisakus, believed they were just as important to the future of PGHW as the others. And now, teaming with Tatsuko, they intended to let him know exactly that. Hoshino and Kunomasu hardly let Tatsuko get into the match. Instead, they spent most of the time battering their opponents. Hoshino used his unchained savagery, while Kunomasu unleashed his crisp, deadly strikes. It was a formidable display, and Kunomasu got the victory with a Leaping Knee Strike. Tatsuko was annoyed that they had excluded him from the match, but admitted he was impressed. He told Kunomasu that if he wanted to prove himself worthy of “pillar” status, he should start by facing him for the Glory Crown at the next show, Night of WARRIORS. Night of WARRIORS, July 1999 Nobuatsu Tatsuko defended the Glory Crown for the first time against Eisaku Kunomasu. The match started off tense as Kunomasu felt he had a point to prove. Tatsuko refused to give the challenger any leeway and fought with the kind of directness and relentlessness that characterised his performances leading up to the title victory. Kunomasu did well. He got some great offense on Tatsuko, and lived up to his “Lord of Strong Style” moniker. But it wasn’t enough. Tatsuko absorbed everything and hit back harder. It was all over when he hit the Tatsuko Driller for the pinfall victory. The match was incredible. The striking exchanges and skill on display was through the roof. For a match that everybody thought they knew the outcome, it still stunned everyone with its quality. It was already a frontrunner for Match of the Year and people were talking about it in the same breath as Ichihara vs. Kitoaji from ’97. Night of VICTORY, July 1999 Nobuatsu Tatsuko competed in another six-man tag match, this time with Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) on his side of the ring. They faced Kumasaka-buntai’s Danger Kumasaka, Shuji Inukai and Tommy Cornell. Shuji Inukai and Tommy Cornell performed well, but it was Danger Kumasaka who really made an impact on Tatsuko. The veteran was swift and cunning, picking the right time to take the wind out of Tatsuko’s ferocity. This ability to slow the champion may have been the decisive factor in the match because, although Kumasaka didn’t pin Tatsuko (instead, Inukai hit the Untouchable Lariat on McFly), negating Tatsuko’s dominance was a crucial factor in his team’s success. After the match, Tatsuko made it clear he understood Kumasaka’s importance, and said he would like to try it again in singles competition. With the Glory Crown on the line. Night of LEGACY, August 1999 Night of LEGACY was a huge moment for Danger Kumasaka. It had been over two years since the veteran had been around the title picture and many believed this would surely be his last chance to win the Glory Crown. And while Nobuatsu Tatsuko had been in unbelievable form, the way Kumasaka shut him down at Night of VICTORY had sown a seed of doubt in the minds of a few fans. That doubt didn’t last long. Tatsuko knew what to expect from the veteran now, and he smashed his way through. It was a fiery stampede with brief interludes where Kumasaka got a grip on the match only for Tatsuko to swing it back in his favour. The veteran went down swinging, but he couldn’t resist the Tatsuko Driller that finished him off. After the match, Tatsuko was calm and said he respected Danger Kumasaka. Kumasaka said the feeling was mutual. Night of TOUGHNESS, August 1999 This time, Nobuatsu Tatsuko teamed with Danger Kumasaka and Shuji Inukai, two of the men who had beaten his team at Night of VICTORY. They faced Dread and Hasegawa & Inao. Despite the danger of Dread, Hasegawa and Inao were sub-par opponents, meaning victory for Tatsuko’s team was always likely. Tatsuko was fired up, but not quite to the level of the rampaging force he had been a few months ago. He was cooler alongside Kumasaka and Inukai. It was Inukai who did the rampaging. He was a man on a mission, clearly wanting to impress before the Elite Tag Series, and impress he did. He did a lot of the work in this match, although it was Tatsuko who got the pin after hitting a Tatsuko Driller on Hayate Hasegawa. After the show, Tatsuko commented on Inukai’s performance. Tatsuko: Inukai is stepping up. He is a serious threat both in singles and tag competition. I respect that. I respect how he defeated Hoshino at Night of GLORY, the refusal to back down. I know he will be busy with the Elite Tag Series in the next month, but once he is available, I would love to show the world how great he is and, at the same time, prove that I am better.

A DREADFUL LOSER Dread had lost the Glory Crown. Eight months after defeating Koryusai Kitoaji, the big man suffered defeat to the rampaging Nobuatsu Tatsuko. A few months before that, his epic winning streak came to an end at the hands of Yoshimi Mushashibo. It turned out that Dread’s body couldn’t quite handle the strain of the relentless PGHW schedule after all, as it was an injury picked up during the Elite Series that led to Mushashibo defeating him in the semi-final of that tournament, and when he returned, Tatsuko had picked up a monstrous head of steam. Now Dread had to react. Would he bounce back from these setbacks? Or would he do what so many secretly hoped and crumble away from dominance? Night of STRENGTH, June 1999 Dread’s first match since losing the Glory Crown was against the unfortunate Chuichi Sanda. Sanda had been showing some signs of improvement in the last year or so, but he was absolutely crushed here. Dread tossed him about like a ragdoll and obliterated him with a Dread Bomb to win. Night of WARRIORS, July 1999 Walter Morgan was the next unlucky soul to come up against Dread. It was becoming clear that the big man knew only one way to express his anger and frustration: taking it out on those lower down the food chain. Morgan suffered a beatdown of immense proportions, offering almost nothing in return. Dread finished him off with a Dreadsault. Night of VICTORY, July 1999 At Night of VICTORY, Dread took part in a trios match, teaming with Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz). It was a rare collaboration for Dread who had been used to singles matches during his massive winning run. But he seemed to enjoy teaming with Wright and Diaz. It was another one-sided affair as they demolished Kazuo Mitsushi and Boundary 97 (Go Matsunaga & Takeshi Umehara). Interestingly, it was Raymond Diaz who sparked the initial injury to Dread that derailed his Elite Series tournament. But there was no sign of bitterness or grudges. Quite the opposite. Dread enjoyed teaming with the rare monster that could match him for size. In many ways, Diaz was similar to Dread. Their fifteen year age gap was the major difference, but given a decade more experience, Diaz could well replicate what Dread had done. Night of LEGACY, August 1999 It was another tag match for Dread. This time he was only alongside Lee Wright as Raymond Diaz challenged (unsuccessfully) for the PGHW Historical Japan title. Dread and Wright faced Hasegawa & Inao in another dominant display. Dread’s disgust and anger at losing the Glory Crown was once again abated in the presence of Lee Wright, and the pair seemed to share great pleasure in mauling their opponents. Night of TOUGHNESS, August 1999 Dread’s latest tag exploits fell short of his recent fun. This time he tagged with Hasegawa & Inao against Shuji Inukai, Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Danger Kumasaka. His team mates were not up to the task. Against three of the top guys in the company, Dread needed some backup. He may have wondered how things might be different if he had Raymond Diaz and Lee Wright on his team, but they were busy in an eight-man Elite Tag Series warmup match. Instead, Dread had to watch Nobuatsu Tatsuko standing tall again, pinning Hasegawa after a Tatsuko Driller. If he had begun to forget about his Glory Crown loss over the last month, this was a sour reminder. After the match, he turned towards Hasegawa and Inao who were very quick to back away from a potential explosion of anger. With Diaz and Wright competing in the Elite Tag Series, Dread would watch the tournament from the sidelines, perhaps considering his opponent for Night of HONOUR.

ICONS UNITE Since the very beginning of PGHW’s existence, Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji were the main guys. Sure, Dread and Danger Kumasaka were significant names, but nobody put them quite on the level of the two founding icons. And right up until the end of 1998, they battled over the PGHW Glory Crown, defeating all other challengers and only suffering defeat to each other. The five matches that made up their rivalry were already talked about as legendary and historic. But at the tail end of 1998, Kitoaji dropped the belt to Dread. And Hito Ichihara failed to get defeat the big American at Night of Wrestling. And through the first half of 1999, Ichihara and Kitoaji struggled. Kitoaji especially. After so many years of his brutal strong style (which he was considered a founding father), his body was decaying. He couldn’t bring the same strength and intensity that had made him so successful. Pinfall losses to Yoshimi Mushashibo and Nobuatsu Tatsuko left him watching the new generation steamroller over him on their way to emulating his success. Hito Ichihara also found himself slipping. Not quite so much, though, as he managed to hold on to defeat Eisaku Kunomasu at Night of GLORY. Yet even he couldn’t deny his position at the top of the card had been under serious threat for some time. Sometimes, when the going gets tough and the world starts to crumble around you, solidarity and friendship rises up in unlikely places. Attitudes change. Foes become less hostile and old grudges fade away. Night of STRENGTH, June 1999 Koryusai Kitoaji teamed with Tommy Cornell and Team STRENGTH RUSH to defeat the four-man team of Hito Ichihara, Mamoru Nagahama and Team MYTHOS. The match was notable for a number of reasons, but what stood out for fans of Kitoaji and Ichihara was how absent they were. The younger men flew around, smacking, slapping, slamming and smashing. The 21-year-old Tommy Cornell was like a wildfire and Raymond Diaz, two years his senior was a rampaging bison. Kitoaji and Ichihara competed, but both could see their star had lost some shine. They weren’t the centre of attention. At the end of the match, when Kitoaji’s team had won, the two icons shared a moment of grim acceptance at their declining fates. Night of WARRIORS, July 1999 Night of WARRIORS saw another eight-man tag match, but this time Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji were on the same team. They tagged with Mamoru Nagahama and Yodo Nakane to beat Hasegawa & Inao and Boundary 97. The win was expected. Working together, Ichihara and Kitoaji pulled off a couple of clever moves. They had some chemistry on the same team. As if the idea had sprung into their mind at the same time, both men tentatively suggested another match together to show the youngsters they weren’t beaten yet. Night of VICTORY, July 1999 Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji handily dispatched Hasegawa & Inao in a one-sided match. Once again, the icons showed they could work pretty well as a tag team and for the first time in months, they found themselves smiling. After the show, Ichihara spoke in the press conference. Ichihara: I never thought I’d enjoy being in the ring with Kitoaji again. After all we’ve been through. All the conflict, the acrimony, the humiliation of losing to him and the pride of defeating him… well, it turns out we’re not so different. In styles, yes, we are opposites. But in the desire to win and succeed… we have to be similar otherwise we’d never have found ourselves competing at the top for so long. We both found the need to join PGHW and the desire to excel at what we did. We have spoken in private to agree this, but now I would like to reveal it publicly. In two weeks at Night of LEGACY, we will wrestle against Strike Force, a serious tag team threat. If we defeat them, then we have agreed to enter the Elite Tag Series together. Night of LEGACY, August 1999 The prospect of Ichihara and Kitoaji entering the Elite Tag Series was mouthwatering, even considering their recent declines. The legends would surely be a massive threat to any team in the company. But first they had to get through Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall). While Strike Force had never done anything to anger the fans, they were certainly unpopular in this match. The PGHW faithful wanted to see the icons unite. They got their wish. Hito Ichihara struck the decisive blow, hitting a Kitoaji Braindrop on Dino Maldini. After hitting his partner’s devastating finisher, Ichihara grinned at Kitoaji, who returned the gesture. The two shook hands and the deal was done. Night of TOUGHNESS, August 1999 As if everything in 1999 so far had been forgotten, Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji returned to the main event as they teamed with Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) against reigning Glory Tag Crown holders Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall). It was the highest-profile warmup match for the Elite Tag Series, and everybody wanted to win. Kitoaji and Ichihara went toe to toe with the tag champs and it was evident that the icons would be in the running for a shot at the titles at some stage down the line. The match ended with victory for Ichihara and Kitoaji as their team-mate Eisaku Hoshino hit the Godzilla Plunge on Dino Maldini. After the show, Hito Ichihara’s press conference was interrupted by Mamoru Nagahama. Ichihara and Nagahama had been tag partners for a couple of years, holding the Glory Tag Crown titles for eight months. Nagahama had clearly been expecting to enter the Elite Tag Series with Ichihara this year and wanted to know what was going on. Ichihara responded. Ichihara: I apologise, Mamoru. You have to understand that… realistically the pair of us were a long shot from winning the Elite Tag Series. It’s the truth. We had our successes together, but I’m not at the level I used to be. Kitoaji is a fierce competitor. A proven winner. And I know that alongside him I will be elevated. We can win this! So this year, at least, my friend, you’ll have to sit out. Nagahama had never before shown any signs of bitterness or bad temper towards anyone. In the face of adversity, he had always acted with humility and decorum. On this occasion, however, it was easy to understand why he pursed his lips and strode out of the press room.

A FEARSOME SCHEDULE Yoshimi Mushashibo upset a large section of the PGHW faithful when he neglected to defend his newly-won Historical Japan title for two major shows. Since defeating Eisaku Kunomasu for the belt, he had other things on his plate. That included a rivalry with Koryusai Kitoaji. Finally, Mushashibo did defend the Historical Japan title at Night of GLORY, beating Kitoaji and establishing himself as a true top star in the company. And, importantly, he aimed to win back lost trust by putting the Historical Japan belt on the line at every show he attended. It was a bold claim. Until that point, the belt had been a regular fixture at major shows, but rarely turned up on tour. This fearsome new schedule meant Mushashibo would have to be on his game every night of the tour else risk losing his new prize. Night of STRENGTH, June 1999 During the lead up to Night of STRENGTH, Yoshimi Mushashibo defended the Historical Japan title on six occasions against established PGHW talent and a few independent names. At Night of STRENGTH, it was Pistol Pete Hall who took up the challenge, and the match was made the main event of the show. Mushashibo and Hall didn’t disappoint, contesting the best match of the night. Mushashibo retained by submitting Hall in the Yoshimi Lock. There were plenty of young wrestlers and independent names that had already put their names in the hat for a match in the near future. Night of WARRIORS, July 1999 Seven defences saw Mushashibo to Night of WARRIORS, a remarkable number in just two weeks between the shows. At this rate he was putting the belt on the line more than once every two days. At Night of WARRIORS, Yoshimi Mushashibo faced Tommy Cornell. The young Englishman had continued to impress since his arrival and few could disagree that he was due a title shot. It was a hard-fought technical battle, with Cornell nearly getting the victory with a Guilt Trip, but Mushashibo had the answer with a Yoshimi Lock and it was another defence to his name. Fans were already loving the number of defences the Historical Japan title was getting, reminding them of the early 90’s when it would appear all over the country at small events. Night of VICTORY, July 1999 The veteran Yodo Nakane was next to face Mushashibo for the Historical Japan title. The champion dispatched of six challengers on tour and frankly looked unstoppable. Nobody expected Nakane to walk away with the title, and they were not surprised when the Yoshimi Lock forced him to submit. After the show, Mushashibo commented that the schedule was tiring him out, but he still had plenty of energy to live up to the reputation of the belt. Night of LEGACY, August 1999 Raymond Diaz was next to face Yoshimi Mushashibo for the Historical Japan title on a major show. Another six competitors had fallen to the champions might on tour. Diaz was a different test to the challengers before him. His size and strength allowed him to bully “The Artist” and every hold or submission Mushashibo applied cost him extra effort and energy. Finally, he got the job done with the Yoshimi Lock, but it was clear his body had suffered with the exertion. Night of TOUGHNESS, August 1999 Only four tour shows separated Night of TOUGHNESS from Night of LEGACY, but Yoshimi Mushashibo made the most of all of them, continuing his impressive reign. Mamoru Nagahama challenged him at Night of TOUGHNESS in a fierce match. Mushashibo’s fatigue affected his performance and allowed Nagahama to take control for long periods. The champion struggled to a victory with the Yoshimi Lock, but every match cost him an extra chunk of energy and at some point, it would run out. Mushashibo was typically thoughtful after the show. Mushashibo: I have defended this title thirty-five times in the last three months. Of course some of the challengers have been tougher than others, but all of them have been hurdles to overcome. Quite frankly, it has drained me. Not hugely, mind. I can still go. However, I believe I have done the belt its true service and earned myself a momentary reprieve. The Elite Tag Series begins in three days. As usual, I will be taking part. That means my time will be dedicated to Team Dynasty, not to this belt. And I expect we will reach the semi-final as a minimum and potentially win the tournament again meaning more distraction from this title. I understand that is disappointing for many of you. That’s why I’ve worked so hard to elevate the belt in the last few months and, once my tag team duties calm down, I will continue being a regular fighting champion.

Thanks! The biggest matches get between 85 and 90 ratings. I think at this stage, the highest rated match in company history was still Kitoaji vs. Ichihara at the end of 1997 with 90, although plenty have come close.

PGHW "NIGHT OF WRESTLING" 2022 - PREDICTION KEY INTERNATIONAL TITLE Masaru Ugaki (c) vs. SATO GLORY TAG CROWN
 Chojiro Kitoaji & Eisaku Kunomasu (c) vs. Bussho Makiguchi & Tsurayuki Kamachi INTERPROMOTIONAL WARFARE RONIN VII (Joshua Taylor, Seiji Jimbo & Yuri Yoshihara) vs. The Syndicate (Eddie Chandler, Nate Johnson & Wolf Hawkins) GLORY TAG CROWN SHOT ON THE LINE Kazushige Matsuki & Michio Gensai vs. BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi. EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
 Crimson Tigers (Kozue Kawashima, Shinji Mihara & Shogo Furuta) & Hiroaki Nakasawa vs. REBEL (Hirotsugu Satou, Magnum Kobe, Minoru Nakahata & Motoyuke Miyake). EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
 RONIN VII (Akinori Kwakami, Avalanche Takano, Haranobu Kobayashi & Noriyori Sanda) defeated The North (Aaron Knight, George Wolfe, Mark Griffin & Robby Griffin). GRUDGE MATCH Mutant vs. Yasunobu Masuno. Still very much enjoying this diary. Keep it up!

THE PAYOFF When I started PGHW, I had in my mind the first major milestone. It was not an attendance figure or a network deal. Nor was it a number in a bank account or a global award of recognition. It was the end of Night of GLORY. Nobuatsu Tatsuko as the first Glory Crown champion of the new generation. The ending of one era and the transition to a new one. With Miwa, Mushashibo, Hoshino, Kunomasu and Inukai at the top of the card, and many more rising below them. A prophecy fulfilled. The company’s future looked bright, too. I had invested significant money in the SAISHO dojo, with two exciting trainees standing out. They would debut soon enough. I was also hoping to convert the dojo into a small promotion to give more time and opportunities to graduates and young signings. Many were on excursion in Europe and Canada, but I hadn’t seen much progress. They needed something closer to home. Those plans were in the works. The move to broadcasting on Emperor Choice boosted finances significantly and now there was no concern over the company’s health. I could afford to make some huge signings should the opportunity arise, but at this stage the roster was plenty strong enough. The only bad news was the injury to Luis Figo Manico. Things looked serious there and I worried that when he returned, he might not be able to do many of the things that made him special. That aside, my focus was on a positive road ahead. We had become the second biggest wrestling promotion in Japan. BHOTWG were still far ahead. For now. I had no particular issue with them, but it was a challenge I set for myself – to make PGHW number one. (note to readers: the diary will return in January as I'm unable to post over the Christmas period. Happy holidays!)

Predictions DinoKea: 4/5 Old School Fan: 3/5 And there it is. The end of WWL. Like with PWL, it lasted for two years in-game and a year and a half in "real" time. I think around that time is when I begin to run out of steam with the league format. Still, they are very enjoyable years. And I think in WWL, the arc had been completed - a new major star was unleashed upon the world, which was one of the big things I wanted to achieve. Thank you to @DinoKea and @Old School Fan for predicting pretty much every single show, and to all those who have been reading along!

Predictions DinoKea: 3/3 Old School Fan: 2/3 Cardiff Trophy 1978 Predictions DinoKea: 22/31 Old School Fan: 13/27 The Blonde Bomber: 4/4 Next Time: Mikel de Sota vs. William Riley (CoC Qualifier) Jacques Strapp vs. Kenny Maynard (CoC Qualifier) Alexander Tomov vs. Angus McCloud (CoC Qualifier) Daniel Whitman vs. Leo King De Sota / Riley vs. Strapp / Maynard vs. Tomov / McCloud (Champion of Champions 1978) (Speeding up the posting schedule as I'll be away for the next few weeks and thought it would be nice to get the diary finished off. The final show, Champion of Champions, will go up at the weekend and will be the last ever show in the diary!)

Night of GLORY 1999 Eisaku Hoshino vs. Shuji Inukai Chuichi Sanda & Boundary 97 (Go Matsunaga & Takeshi Umehara) vs. Danger Kumasaka, Mamoru Nagahama & Yodo Nakane Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Hito Ichihara Hayate Hasegawa, Fukusaburu Inao and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) Koryusai Kitoaji vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles Dread © vs. Nobuatsu Tatsuko for the Glory Crown title MATCH 1: Eisaku Hoshino vs. Shuji Inukai Hoshino and Inukai’s rivalry in the last few months had gotten out of control. PGHW was founded on respect and honour, with “do the right thing” a key tenet instilled into all members of the roster. For that reason, Hoshino and Inukai’s brawl after their match at Night of SUCCESS was shocking. It resulted in the pair receiving substantial fines. But in the spirit of competition, they were granted one more match to settle who was the superior fighter. In their previous four matches in singles competition, they had each won two, with Inukai winning the most recent – the Night of SUCCESS match that triggered the brawl. In both their two last matches, blood had been spilled and the winners had shown a refusal to give up under pressure. Yet rather than unite the two in mutual appreciation, the similarity in their abilities and approaches only served to create more division between them. This opening match began with the crowd expecting chaos. But for the first couple of minutes, Inukai and Hoshino just circled each other. They had become wary. Too much was on the line for mistakes now, and neither wanted to be the first to make one. Finally, Inukai took the initiative and charged forward, swinging with the Untouchable Lariat, a finishing move nobody had ever survived… Hoshino dodged and caught Inukai in the Godzilla Plunge! He went for a pin. One… Kick out! Inukai roared to his feet, shaking off the effects of Hoshino’s finisher and getting right in his face. This triggered the outbreak of violence the fans had been expecting. Elbows, forearms, palm strikes, chops, kicks, knees and headbutts flew back and forth. Occasionally one of them executed a wrestling move, but that was rare. The battle raged on, often spilling outside the ring. Both men ended up with blood on their face and massive red welts over their chest and neck area. But no matter how hard they hit each other, neither man backed down. It became a test of will, a contest of who was toughest. Who could absorb the most violence. Because self-protection was out of the question. There was no defence. Just eating what the other threw at you and trying to throw something bigger back. The decisive moment of the match came when Hoshino had Inukai down on the mat, pounding him with vicious elbows. Inukai struggled out from beneath and applied, to everyone’s surprise, a rear naked choke to the unsuspecting Hoshino. Hoshino battled as hard as he could to get free. But Inukai’s grip was in too tight. Yet still Hoshino survived. He refused to submit, and through a mighty show of willpower and strength, he shrugged off the choke. He struggled to his knees, then his feet, then… Untouchable Lariat! That was it. The referee counted to three and the match was over. Shuji Inukai won the match. However, the sight of Hoshino crumpled and bloody on the mat after giving everything he had down to the last fibre in his body must have changed something in Inukai’s mind. The Untouchable one waited for Hoshino to regain his senses, then gave a curt bow to the defeated man. Hoshino nodded his head back. Respect had been gained. Violence had been glorious. MATCH 2: Chuichi Sanda & Boundary 97 (Go Matsunaga & Takeshi Umehara) vs. Danger Kumasaka, Mamoru Nagahama & Yodo Nakane After the chaos of the opener, this trios match calmed the crowd and gave them some time to recover. Nagahama pinned Umehara to get the win. MATCH 3: Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Hito Ichihara When Eisaku Kunomasu pinned Hito Ichihara in a tag match at Night of EXCELLENCE, it was a watershed moment for the young man. A three count over one of the greatest of all time was a major achievement, and Ichihara recognised that. Ichihara would have known that this wave of youngsters would surpass anything he and Koryusai Kitoaji ever achieved, but he wasn’t about to let them walk all over him. They had to earn their place in history. And the former Glory Crown champion still had plenty left in him. The match was world class. It was already in serious contention for match of the year and rivalled Ichihara’s bout with Koryusai Kitoaji at Night of WRESTLING 1997 and the Elite Series 1998 final against Nobuatsu Tatsuko. Kunomasu took things up another notch. He was unbelievable, delivering crisp, accurate, well-timed offence with ease, his icy demeanour hardly changing throughout. Ichihara, on the other hand, showed grit in surviving Kunomasu’s offence. Then he turned things in his favour with improvisation and adaptability, his strongest traits. This level of experience and strategic know-how edged the match. Ichihara hit a Brain Drop Suplex to get the win. However, the fans were more impressed with Kunomasu and how far he had come in the last three years – his first three years as a wrestler. MATCH 4: Hayate Hasegawa, Fukusaburu Inao and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) An eight-man tag saw four tag teams collide. Raymond Diaz got the winning pinfall, hitting a Too Hot to Handle on Hasegawa, and Team STRENGTH RUSH looked in a good position to make another shot at the Glory Tag Crown titles. MATCH 5: Koryusai Kitoaji vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title This match was Mushashibo’s first defence of the Historical Japan title since winning it six weeks ago from Eisaku Kunomasu. He received criticism for not defending it at Night of EXCELLENCE or Night of SUCCESS, but putting it on the line against Kitoaji and promising to defend it on tour shows subsequently turned the tide of opinion slightly back in his favour. Assuming he defeated Kitoaji. Surprisingly, he was the favourite to do so, which is something nobody would have though at year ago. A combination of Mushashibo’s rapid ascent and Kitoaji’s recent decline meant that Mushashibo had pinned the legend on two occasions in the year so far. Kitoaji wanted revenge. And he wasted no time trying to get it. His impactful offence was hard for Mushashibo to deal with at first. The youngster clearly wanted to get into some grappling but Kitoaji refused. Mushashibo survived. His body had grown tough in the last couple of years. Still lean and sinewy enough to move with the grace of a panther, but now sufficiently durable to absorb Kitoaji’s punishment. When Kitoaji tired (as he tended to do earlier and earlier), Mushashibo took control. Instead of slowing the pace, though, he increased it while maintaining control over Kitoaji. It was magnificent to watch the artist at work. He drew curves on the mat and etched lyrics on Kitoaji’s body. His movement had rhythm and his moves blended in a dazzling array of colour. To finish his masterpiece, Mushashibo applied the Yoshimi Lock, altering the position of his body to prevent Kitoaji’s escape. Kitoaji hung on for a couple of minutes before weakly tapping out. History resounded through New Shiga Stadium. Mushashibo had just forced the great Koryusai Kitoaji to submit. In doing so, he defended the Historical Japan title successfully and nobody could deny what he had achieved. The only question was, how far could he go? MATCH 6: Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles Tommy Cornell had been in PGHW for less than six months, but already he’d established himself as a superstar in the making. His performances had impressed Danger Kumasaka who, as a mentor of Walter Morgan, had brought the two young Englishmen together as a tag team. A couple of wins later and they’d earned themselves a title shot. Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly), meanwhile, were edging closer to the nine-month record reign held by Team STRENGTH RUSH. A victory here would put them at eight months, tying Ichihara & Nagahama’s reign and placing them just a month behind the record. At this stage, they wanted no slipups. And to be fair to them, they had been in excellent form, consistently delighting PGHW fans with impressive performances. And they needed one here. Cornell and Morgan brought their very best. Morgan was a supremely talented mat wrestler, whose tight holds and painful submissions could best anyone’s. However, he had always been undone by the fact he was very one-dimensional. Cornell, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as good technically, but could throw and strike well enough to compete against all opponents. This versatility hid Morgan’s weaknesses and allowed him to emphasise his strengths. And on another day, they could have beaten Team MYTHOS. The trouble was, Mito Miwa was in an imperious mood, shrugging off everything thrown at him. McFly brought unlimited energy and desire, turning difficult situations into advantages for his own team. Miwa hit the Pride Bomber on Morgan to win the match and retain the Glory Tag Crown titles. The bout supplanted Team MYTHOS’s match against Strike Force last month as the best PGHW tag match of the year, and many considered it even better than their match against Team Dynasty. Once again, Mito Miwa and Sean McFly brought the tag division to new heights. MATCH 7: Dread © vs. Nobuatsu Tatsuko for the Glory Crown Nobuatsu Tatsuko’s Elite Series victory in March earned him a shot at Dread’s Glory Crown. The last time they met, at Night of RESPECT in January, Tatsuko fell just short. And at last year’s Night of GLORY, he also suffered defeat while challenging for the Glory Crown. He had gone on record saying this was his redemption moment. Dread hadn’t been quite so vocal. His two-year reign of dominance came to a screeching halt when Yoshimi Mushashibo defeated him in the semi-final of the Elite Series in part due to a back injury. Dread took some time off to heal. This frustrated Tatsuko who had done away with patience and for two months had rampaged through the roster. Now Dread was at full strength, there were no excuses. Tatsuko attacked Dread with full force at the start of the match. He caught the big man off guard and immediately got him off his feet. It was an electric way to begin the match, and he followed up by going for the Tatsuko Driller. He couldn’t quite get Dread up to hit it, but the intent was there, and the champion looked in real trouble. But Dread had been around for decades. He knew how to deal with that kind of thing. He survived the early flurry and powered his way into the match. His immense strength and superior size soon gave him the advantage and Tatsuko found himself on the end of several big powerbombs and chokeslams. For a long while Dread stayed in charge. He kept the pace relatively slow, knowing that at high speed, he’d get tired long before Tatsuko. That was something Tatsuko knew, too, and tried to exploit. He battled back and upped the pace. Tatsuko shone here, delivering some impressive suplexes to Dread and chopping his legs from underneath him. Then he went for the Tatsuko Driller again… he couldn’t get it done. He had Dread off the ground and in position, but his legs trembled for a moment, allowing Dread to escape. And counter. Into a Dread Bomb. One…Two… Kick out! Tatsuko survived the move. Only to get hit by a Dreadsault! One…Two… Kick out again! Tatsuko somehow got his shoulder up! The two moves that had beaten him at Night of RESPECT didn’t put him away this time. Dread couldn’t believe it. But he didn’t lose focus. Instead, he went for another Dread Bomb… Tatsuko escaped, tripped Dread and tried to roll him up! One…Two… Kickout! Dread survived by a fraction of a second. Tatsuko struggled to his feet. Dread rushed at him… Tatsuko picked him up into the Tatsuko Driller… his legs trembled, his knees wobbled, his whole core threatened to collapse… But this was his time. This was his redemption. He was the iron man and iron would not buckle. It would hold. Veins popped out of every muscle, but he kept Dread up… then drilled him down. Tatsuko Driller! One…Two… Three! Nobuatsu Tatsuko pinned Dread to become the new Glory Crown champion! Another monumental victory. The first young star to earn the Glory Crown. Tatsuko was so exhausted he could barely stand to celebrate, but the 42,000 fans in the stadium helped him rise to his feet and hold the biggest prize above his head. At last, he had done it. Conclusion Night of GLORY was a show packed full of memorable matches. Inukai and Hoshino’s wild battle, Ichihara’s narrow victory over a rapidly rising Kunomasu, Mushashibo’s stunning submission of Koryusai Kitoaji, another fantastic tag match and, of course, Tatsuko’s glorious crowning. Match of the night belonged to Ichihara and Kunomasu. The Glory Tag Crown match was most people’s pick for second, followed by Mushashibo vs. Kitoaji. The main event, while a massive moment for Tatsuko, was a very good match but a step below the others. After the match, Nobuatsu Tatsuko spoke about his victory. Tatsuko: It’s been just under three years since PGHW opened. Many of us have been here since the very start, growing and improving alongside the company. Some say that PGHW was founded on two men, Koryusai Kitoaji and Hito Ichihara. But I would argue that is wrong. First, there was a third man – Dread. Without him, PGHW would not be where it is today. In the past eighteen months, I have defeated Hito Ichihara, Koryusai Kitoaji and Dread. They were the foundation. And secondly, there were the four pillars of PGHW. The Pride – Mito Miwa, the Glory – Nobuatsu Tatsuko, the Honour – Shuji Inukai and the Wrestling – Yoshimi Mushashibo. All four of us have won tonight. We will never forget the foundations upon which we are built, but now it is time to look up and around. Time to plan to construct this great edifice that will house so much history and glory. I sit here with the Glory Crown. Finally. The transition is over. Now a new era begins.

Predictions DinoKea: 3/4 Old School Fan: 2/4 Cardiff Trophy 1978 Predictions DinoKea: 19/28 Old School Fan: 11/24 The Blonde Bomber: 4/4 Next Time: Jacques Strapp vs. Mikel de Sota (Relegation Playoff) Angus McCloud vs. Leo King Alexander Tomov vs. Kenny Maynard (Cardiff Trophy)

ELITE TAG SERIES PREDICTION CONTEST 2022 Elite Tag Series Winner: MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO 2022 Elite Tag Series Runner-Up: BISON YANO & BRUTE KIKUCHI Most Points (Group Stage): MUTANT & YASUNOBU MASUNO Will any team end up with zero points?: (Bonus point: If so, who?). YES: The Lions of Japan Biggest Surprise Package: The American Cobras Biggest Upset: Kawashima & Nakasawa not doing great

In the last month or so, I've been running long-term simulations of a near-empty database starting way back in time to see what organically emerged. After some tweaking to get some good set up and a few randomly generated companies working, I noticed a few things that put the game well out of balance. First, all companies, no matter their size, invest heavily in merchandise infrastructure, getting it up to World Class. This earns them silly amounts of money, and even small/tiny companies had multiple tens of millions of dollars in the bank, despite having pretty low-level stars. Secondly, companies tended to hold on to a LOT of older stars. Either as wrestlers who wouldn't retire, or as managers. Some promotions, about medium size, had a roster of 60-70 people, with 20-30 of them as retired wrestlers who were kept on as managers, despite not necessarily having the skills. None of them became road agents. Thirdly, generated workers seemed to have a high incidence of extremely negative personalities (bully, scumbag, etc.) but very few actually got into any scandals or incidents, despite having randomness on High. Of course, I completely understand that very long term saves are extremely rare, so these things hardly affect anyone at all. But I thought it would be helpful to share what I have discovered so we can all understand it better!

Night of GLORY 1999 Match Card Eisaku Hoshino vs. Shuji Inukai Chuichi Sanda & Boundary 97 (Go Matsunaga & Takeshi Umehara) vs. Danger Kumasaka, Mamoru Nagahama & Yodo Nakane Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Hito Ichihara Hayate Hasegawa, Fukusaburu Inao and Strike Force (Dino Maldini & Pistol Pete Hall) vs. Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team STRENGTH RUSH (Lee Wright & Raymond Diaz) Koryusai Kitoaji vs. Yoshimi Mushashibo © for the Historical Japan title Team MYTHOS (Mito Miwa & Sean McFly) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles Dread © vs. Nobuatsu Tatsuko for the Glory Crown title

A CHANCE AT REDEMPTION The last twelve months had been a rollercoaster ride for Nobuatsu Tatsuko. Winning the Elite Series in 1998 was a high, followed by the low of losing to Koryusai Kitoaji in his first Glory Crown match at Night of GLORY. He fought back to the top, though, defeating Kitoaji at Night of WRESTLING and getting himself a shot at the Glory Crown again, this time against Dread. But for a second time, in a title match, he fell short. Now, with another Elite Series tournament victory to his name, he had an opportunity to redeem himself. To put those title failures behind him and finally get his hands on the biggest prize. A third title shot was guaranteed. Dread was the reigning champion. But during the Elite Series, Dread had injured his back – something that allowed Yoshimi Mushashibo to defeat him in the semi-final. This injury ruled Dread out of action for a short while. Not long enough for him to have to relinquish the Glory Crown, but enough that Tatsuko would have to wait to get his title shot. The trouble was, Nobuatsu Tatsuko was done waiting. He wanted his glory straight away. Night of FORTITUDE, April 1999 In a main event trios match, Nobuatsu Tatsuko teamed with Team Dynasty (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) against two former Glory Crown champions, Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji as well as Eisaku Hoshino. It was a superb match. Evident to all watching at home or in the crowd was how far the younger wrestlers had advanced over the last few years, now able to outshine the decorated legends they shared the ring with. Tatsuko was in a fiery mood. Unable to get his Glory Crown shot, he took it out on all three of his opponents, particularly Koryusai Kitoaji. Kitoaji encouraged the violence. He had revealed after Night of WRESTLING that he had manipulated Tatsuko into this state of mind. Tatsuko wasn’t about to thank him for it, though. The match ended with Yoshimi Mushashibo pinning Kitoaji, with the latter trying to escape a Yoshimi Lock but ending up trapped in a pinfall. It was a huge moment for Mushashibo – something that Tatsuko didn’t care to share, instead walking off once the match was over, leaving his team mates to celebrate alone. Night of POWER, April 1999 Nobuatsu Tatsuko took on Chuichi Sanda in a one-sided affair. Sanda did well to survive as long as he did because Tatsuko showed him no mercy. It was a battering. A sequence of devastating moves all executed with aggressive precision, and a Tatsuko Driller got the victory. Again, Tatsuko didn’t celebrate. He stalked to the back, clearly still frustrated that he wasn’t getting his Glory Crown title shot. Night of EXCELLENCE, May 1999 Danger Kumasaka had the misfortune of facing Nobuatsu Tatsuko with the youngster still bringing the deadly mixture of a foul mood and exceptional form. Kumasaka tried to slow Tatsuko down and wrap him up in some holds, but Tatsuko was having none of it. He powered out of submissions and pummelled Kumasaka until the Tatsuko Driller finished him off. After the show, Dread announced his injury issues had nearly cleared up. He would be available to wrestle at Night of SUCCESS, but preferred to take part in a tag or trios match as he wouldn’t quite be one hundred percent. He guaranteed that he would face Tatsuko at Night of GLORY. Tatsuko took the news with a mixture of excitement and frustration. He would get his match soon, but not soon enough. Night of GLORY was a month away and he’d have to contain his rage until then. No easy feat. Night of SUCCESS, May 1999 A huge trios match took place at Night of SUCCESS with Nobuatsu Tatsuko teaming with Eisaku Kunomasu and Yoshimi Mushashibo to face Dread, Hito Ichihara and Koryusai Kitoaji. It was Dread’s first in-ring appearance since his loss to Mushashibo in the Elite Series semi-final, and he looked in pretty good shape. He made sure not to overexert his back, but was still able to execute most of his moves without issue. However, his reluctance to fully commit himself may have been the deciding factor, as his team lost. Nobuatsu Tatsuko was on fire. He had kept that anger and desire to win under control, bubbling away, ready to unleash at the right moment. His full commitment allowed his team to get the victory, with Tatsuko himself getting the pin on Hito Ichihara. It was a huge moment as three of the young rising stars overcame three of the original main-eventers. At the post-match press conference, Tatsuko spoke with passion. Tatsuko: There’s no hiding now. Not for me, not for Dread. He can’t avoid me any longer. And I can’t avoid my fate any longer. I’ve tried twice already to get the Glory Crown. It was Night of GLORY last year I lost to Kitoaji. And the second time, I lost to Dread. Now I will face Dread at Night of GLORY and this time, I will emerge victorious. I am unstoppable. I am iron. I am Nobuatsu Tatsuko!

Predictions DinoKea: 0/4 Old School Fan: 0/4 Well that was unpredictable! Cardiff Trophy 1978 Predictions DinoKea: 16/24 Old School Fan: 9/20 The Blonde Bomber: 4/4 Next Time: Alexander Tomov vs. Jacques Strapp Daniel Whitman vs. Mikel de Sota Angus McCloud vs. Leo King Kenny Maynard vs. William Riley