DarK_RaideR

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> BCG Champions 2020 - Night 5, Sat. W2 May 2020 Kobe @ Kansai, Japan 656 Fans Pre-show 1. Goro Hatamoto def. Danjuro Matsuzawa and Tomiichi Okada (9m 42s) when Goro Hatamoto submitted Danjuro Matsuzawa with a Cobra Clutch. [26] 2. Yoriie Ippitsusai and Takenori Doi def. The Tokyo Mountains (9m 49s) when Takenori Doi pinned Shogo Awatari with a Charging Knee Strike. [32] 3. Toshinobu Taku and Yuta Isono def. Kisaka & Hosaka (10m 23s) when Yuta Isono pinned Ginji Kisaka with an Isono Face Melter. [37] 4. Emperor & Imakura def. Sofu Ozawa and Iron Hyodo (9m 31s) when Big Boss Emperor pinned Iron Hyodo with a Double Handed Choke Bomb. [27] Main Show 1. Danjuro Kikuchi, Nobuharu Yokokawa and Sharaku Okimasa def. Shiga United (Ichiro Mitsukuri, Ryobe Uno and Yutaka Ogata) (10m 01s) when Nobuharu Yokokawa submitted Yutaka Ogata with a Stump Puller. [49] 2. Naozane Goto, Dynamite Narahashi, Sojuro Sen and Yoshisada Matsuzawa def. Animal Harker, Monday Next, Yuri Iliakov and Desperado Dave Barker (9m 35s) when Naozane Goto pinned Desperado Dave Barker with a Goto Slam. [51] 3. Masashi Urogataya, Morimasa Kato and Omezo Shikitei def. Roku Sotomura and Kamisaka & Kiyotaka (15m 48s) when Omezo Shikitei submitted Roku Sotomura with a Cross Armbreaker. [60] 4. Big Bruiser Findlay and Razan Okamoto def. Rokuemon Matsushita and Blast Ikoma (14m 47s) when Razan Okamoto pinned Blast Ikoma with a Brainbuster Suplex. [69] 5. Bunrakuken Torii and Yoshinaka Taku def. Mabuchi Furusawa and Tanyu Toshusai (21m 10s) when Bunrakuken Torii pinned Mabuchi Furusawa with a Spinning Forearm Smash. [73] ~ Furusawa and Toshusai met again in this main event match, but as teammates rather than opponents. Not only was the tension between them detrimental to their success, it was also clear that the two men's timing is completely different and one threw the other off even unintentionally. That said, the match itself was still great and Torii got the win for himself and Yoshi Taku. ~ Findlay and Okamoto were an odd pairing in the semi main event, but one that worked as Razan eventually got the pin on Ikoma. Worked at a breakneck pace, the match nearly stole the show and once again showcased how big men like Findlay and Matsushita can be so much more than the plodding monsters of old. ~ Bad luck for one of BCG's elder statesmen in Sofu Ozawa, who strained his rotator cuff due to a botched spot, courtesy of Imakura. Though the injury was not itself to sideline Ozawa and he himself wanted to work through it, BCG officials decided to take him out of the tour regardless. </div>

Another vote from me siding with Ozzie on this one. CWI Tag Team Championship Long Beach Crew versus Bred for Battle © w/ Andrew Gibson CWI Women's Championship Lucy Stone-McFly versus Urena Frost © "The Man, The Myth, The Legend" Rafe Sashay w/ Funky Fedora versus "The Indiana Strangler" Conner Threepwood "American Eagle" Roger Monteiro versus "Triple Threat" Davis Wayne Newton The Dog Soldiers [Youngblood & Stallion] versus Canadian Blonds [savage & DaLay] "Red" Yvonne Ericks versus "Stunning" Sabrina Wells

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> BCG Champions 2020 - Night 4, Wed. W2 May 2020 Takamatsu @ Shikoku, Japan 49 Fans Pre-show 1. Danjuro Matsuzawa and Goro Hatamoto def. Namboku Atsushi and Tomiichi Okada (10m 08s) when Goro Hatamoto pinned Tomiichi Okada with a Hot Shot. [17] 2. Sofu Ozawa and Iron Hyodo def. The Tokyo Mountains (9m 38s) when Iron Hyodo submitted Shogo Awatari with a Sleeper Hold. [23] 3. Yoriie Ippitsusai and Takenori Doi def. Kisaka & Hosaka (9m 57s) when Takenori Doi pinned Ginji Kisaka with a Charging Knee Strike. [31] 4. Yuta Isono and Toshinobu Taku def. Emperor & Imakura (9m 31s) when Yuta Isono pinned Noritaka Imakura with an Isono Face Melter. [35] Main Show 1. Monday Next, Yuri Iliakov and Desperado Dave Barker def. Shiga United (Ichiro Mitsukuri, Ryobe Uno and Yutaka Ogata) (9m 51s) when Yuri Iliakov pinned Yutaka Ogata with a Kiev Krush. [41] 2. Yoshinaka Taku and Yokokawa & Sen def. Naozane Goto, Danjuro Kikuchi and Yoshisada Matsuzawa (10m 24s) when Yoshinaka Taku pinned Danjuro Kikuchi with a Full Nelson Bomb. [52] 3. Roku Sotomura and Kamisaka & Kiyotaka def. Omezo Shikitei, Sharaku Okimasa and Tanyu Toshusai (16m 01s) when Roku Sotomura submitted Sharaku Okimasa with a Twisted Bow And Arrow. [57] 4. Blast Ikoma, Bunrakuken Torii and Dynamite Narahashi def. Mabuchi Furusawa, Masashi Urogataya and Morimasa Kato (15m 59s) when Dynamite Narahashi pinned Mabuchi Furusawa with a Narahashi Cutter. [67] 5. Razan Okamoto and Rokuemon Matsushita def. The Wild Ones (20m 35s) when Razan Okamoto pinned Animal Harker with a Brainbuster Suplex. [60] ~ Big win for Razan Okamoto in the main event, the man picking up some steam after his big title loss to Funakoshi at the Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix. Okamoto did struggle a bit with his much larger partner in an odd big-small combination, but that wasn't even close to how Findlay and Harker just weren't willing to drop their bickering and get on the same page to hopefully win the match. ~ Furusawa's rocky ground continues throughout this tour, this time with a pinfall loss to Dynamite Narahashi. Of course, Narahashi had significant aid from his teammates in Ikoma and Torii, all of which did some great wrestling to steal the show and get the win over the "outsider" team of Furusawa, Urogataya and Kato. ~ Injury has struck again, this time claiming Namboku Atsushi with a broken forearm after a sloppy smash and even sloppier block from Goro Hatamoto. The recent Roaring Lion Dojo graduate has been removed from the remainder of the tour, though no disciplinary action has been taken against his fellow young lion Hatamoto. </div>

Nominations Rookie Real World My picks have already been nominated Rookie C-Verse/Fictional The Invincible Vibert by DarEatWorld Veteran Real World My picks have already been nominated Veteran C-Verse/Fictional My picks have already been nominated Showcase The hype-up and debut of "The ONE" YASUHIKO TAIRA in Warrior Engine 2020 The Family Legacy by FINisher Philipe LeGrenier quits CWI in No Ordinary Men by Historian

The Boriken/Toro feud is easily my favourite thing going on.

Good show, really capturing the LU vibe and style. Haven't predicted in a while but still following from the shadows!

A well booked and well written show. You've really upped the ante with this one.

I'm a little confused by the latest update. Have you played up to October 2020 and plan to post shows past that date, or is this supposed to be a "what's happened since TEW2016" thing? Doesn't help that I haven't been following PGHW...

Omg I got the main event right!

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> BCG Champions 2020 - Night 3, Mon. W2 May 2020 Hiroshima @ Chugoku, Japan 81 Fans Pre-show 1. Tomiichi Okada and Yutaka Ogata def. Danjuro Matsuzawa and Namboku Atsushi (9m 45s) when Yutaka Ogata pinned Namboku Atsushi with a Double Arm DDT. [15] 2. Sofu Ozawa and Takenori Doi def. The Tokyo Mountains (10m 30s) when Sofu Ozawa pinned Kawanari Enomoto with an Arm-Trap Belly To Back Suplex. [27] 3. Ryobe Uno and Goro Hatamoto def. Kisaka & Hosaka (10m 21s) when Ryobe Uno submitted Ikki Hosaka with a Scorpion Deathlock. [27] 4. Ichiro Mitsukuri and Toshinobu Taku def. Emperor & Imakura (10m 16s) when Toshinobu Taku pinned Noritaka Imakura with a Gutwrench Tombstone. [39] Main Show 1. Yuta Isono, Monday Next, Yuri Iliakov and Desperado Dave Barker def. Masashi Urogataya, Nobuharu Yokokawa, Roku Sotomura and Danjuro Kikuchi (10m 06s) when Yuri Iliakov pinned Nobuharu Yokokawa with a Kiev Krush. [51] 2. Morimasa Kato, Kadonomaro Kamisaka & Kiyotaka def. Omezo Shikitei, Yoriie Ippitsusai & Sharaku Okimasa (15m 42s) when Kadonomaro Kamisaka pinned Yoriie Ippitsusai with a Stump Piledriver. [52] 3. Mabuchi Furusawa, Dynamite Narahashi and Yoshisada Matsuzawa def. Razan Okamoto, Blast Ikoma and Sojuro Sen (16m 01s) when Mabuchi Furusawa submitted Sojuro Sen with a Furusawa Armbar. [56] 4. Big Bruiser Findlay def. Animal Harker and Naozane Goto (14m 57s) when Big Bruiser Findlay pinned Animal Harker with an Atomic Spinebuster. [61] 5. Bunrakuken Torii and Rokuemon Matsushita def. Tanyu Toshusai and Yoshinaka Taku (20m 47s) when Bunrakuken Torii pinned Yoshinaka Taku with a Spinning Forearm Smash. [66] ~ Another main even big win for Torii and Matsushita, this time over Toshusai and Yoshi Taku. The two younger competitors put on a great performance but between Torii's intensity, Matsushita's power and their combined experience, there was never any doubt about how this match would end. ~ A rare triangle match in the semi main event, with Findlay and Harker faced with the choice of fighting out their frustrations with each other or attempt to score a pin over Naozane Goto in hopes of a shot at his title. At first, the Wild Ones teamed up against the former sumo wrestler but as soon as he was down, Harker turned on Findlay for their inevitable clash in hopes of having the element of surprise on his side. It worked well for the Dallas brawler at first, but between Goto's comeback and Findlay's fighting, Harker went down for a brief Findlay-Goto big man brawl before he got caught with the Atomic Spinebuster for the pin by Findlay. ~ Mabuchi Furusawa made his point by tapping out Sojuro Sen and getting the win for his underdog trio against Sen's partners of Okamoto and Ikoma. Now fully recovered from his injury, Furusawa looks to cover any ground lost and he would do well to score a big victory at the end of the tour show if he wants to climb back to the top tier of BCG's competitors. </div>

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> BCG Champions 2020 - Night 2, Fri. W1 May 2020 Nagoya City @ Chubu, Japan 89 Fans Pre-show 1. Goro Hatamoto and Namboku Atsushi def. Danjuro Matsuzawa and Tomiichi Okada (9m 38s) when Goro Hatamoto submitted Danjuro Matsuzawa with a Cobra Clutch. [23] 2. Sofu Ozawa and Takenori Doi def. The Tokyo Mountains (9m 32s) when Takenori Doi pinned Shogo Awatari with a Charging Knee Strike. [28] 3. Toshinobu Taku and Yuta Isono def. Kisaka & Hosaka (10m 07s) when Yuta Isono pinned Ginji Kisaka with an Isono Face Melter. [34] 4. Ippitsusai & Okimasa def. Emperor & Imakura (9m 37s) when Sharaku Okimasa submitted Big Boss Emperor with a Scorpion Deathlock. [38] Main Show 1. Danjuro Kikuchi, Ichiro Mitsukuri, Ryobe Uno and Yutaka Ogata def. Animal Harker, Desperado Dave Barker, Monday Next and Yuri Iliakov (9m 58s) when Danjuro Kikuchi submitted Desperado Dave Barker with a Step Over Leg Bar. [44] 2. Roku Sotomura and Kamisaka & Kiyotaka def. Masashi Urogataya, Morimasa Kato and Omezo Shikitei (16m 21s) when Kiyotaka submitted Masashi Urogataya with a Kimura. [57] 3. Mabuchi Furusawa, Blast Ikoma, Dynamite Narahashi and Yoshisada Matsuzawa def. Razan Okamoto, Yoshinaka Taku and Yokokawa & Sen (16m 04s) when Blast Ikoma pinned Sojuro Sen with a Northern Lights Bomb. [51] 4. Rokuemon Matsushita and Bunrakuken Torii def. Big Bruiser Findlay and Giant Brody (14m 44s) when Bunrakuken Torii pinned Giant Brody with a Spinning Forearm Smash. [57] 5. Naozane Goto def. Tanyu Toshusai (14m 36s) by pinfall with a Goto Slam. Naozane Goto makes defence number three of the BCG Challengers Series. [51] ~ Following Tanyu Toshusai's pin on Naozane Goto, the challenge was quickly cashed in to main event this match, presumably in hopes of boosting ticket sales for this show. Toshusai, who apparently continues his struggle to break into the next level, put on a solid performance but ultimately fell to the defending champion's devastating Goto Slam as soon as he let his guard down for a moment. ~ Bunrakuken Torii found himself among giants in the semi main event, but his never say die attitude carried him through the match alongside the ever-impressive Rokuemon Matsushita. Their big gaijin opponents made things quite difficult but after the halfway point of the match, Giant Brody seemed to harbor a strained neck from the whiplash of a suplex, which cost him precious ground and eventually set him up to get hit with a Spinning Forearm Smash for the pin. </div>

The booking creates the storylines Thank you very much. Been busy with travels, work and life stuff, but I like to think the result was worth the wait. I don't know if it's the portrait or the link to GCG, I totally see SUKI as BCG's version of NJPW's KENTA

COTT Mid American Championship Nate "the Great" DeMarcus versus The Hangman © Nate might be the one to eventually take the belt from the Hangman, but with little to no buildup, doubt the belt changes hands here. Predicting a countout or DQ win to set things off. CWI Tag Team Championship The Texas Express versus The Player's Club w/ Lucinda Lush versus American Gold versus Bred for Battle © w/ Andrew Gibson CWI Women's Championship Urena Frost versus Felicia Luck © CWI Indiana Heavyweight Championship "The Hillbilly Outlaw" Zippy Deverell versus "Spicy" Pepper Pelton © "The Indiana Strangler" Conner Threepwood versus Funky Fedora Mr. Grappling versus One Man Army

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"></p><p> <img alt="Mn4LzCY.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Mn4LzCY.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><div style="text-align:center;"></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> <span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>BCG Champions 2020 - Night 1</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;">, </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><em>Tue. W1 May 2020</em></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><em> Kyoto @ Kansai, Japan</em></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><em> 654 Fans</em></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><div style="text-align:left;"><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Pre-show</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 1. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Sofu Ozawa and Danjuro Matsuzawa def. Namboku Atsushi and Tomiichi Okada (9m 45s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Sofu Ozawa pinned Namboku Atsushi with an Arm-Trap Belly To Back Suplex. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[21]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 2. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Yoriie Ippitsusai and Goro Hatamoto def. The Tokyo Mountains (9m 38s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Goro Hatamoto submitted Kawanari Enomoto with a Cobra Clutch. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[32]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 3. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Toshinobu Taku and Danjuro Kikuchi def.Kisaka & Hosaka (9m 49s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Danjuro Kikuchi submitted Ginji Kisaka with a Step Over Leg Bar. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[43]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 4. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Dynamite Narahashi and Yuta Isono def. Emperor & Imakura (10m 26s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Dynamite Narahashi pinned Big Boss Emperor with a Narahashi Cutter. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[41]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 5. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Yokokawa & Sen def. Yoshisada Matsuzawa and Takenori Doi (9m 52s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Sojuro Sen submitted Takenori Doi with an Over-The-Shoulder Backbreaker. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[52]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Main Show</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 1. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Monday Next, Yuri Iliakov and Desperado Dave Barker def. Shiga United (Ichiro Mitsukuri, Ryobe Uno and Yutaka Ogata) (9m 43s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Monday Next pinned Yutaka Ogata with a Flash Forward. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[40]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 2.</span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong> Morimasa Kato, Roku Sotomura, Kadonomaro Kamisaka and Kiyotaka def. Blast Ikoma, Masashi Urogataya, Omezo Shikitei and Sharaku Okimasa (16m 15s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Kiyotaka submitted Sharaku Okimasa with a Kimura. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[58]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 3. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Razan Okamoto and Tanyu Toshusai def. Mabuchi Furusawa and Naozane Goto (14m 55s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Tanyu Toshusai submitted Naozane Goto. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[62]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> 4. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>Bunrakuken Torii, Rokuemon Matsushita and Yoshinaka Taku def. Giant Brody and The Wild Ones (20m 49s)</strong></span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> when Yoshinaka Taku pinned Animal Harker with a Full Nelson Bomb. </span><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"><strong>[71]</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> ~ Team BCG got the win in the main event against their trio of gaijin opponents. Big Bruiser Findlay appeared overzealous in order to compensate for his loss in the final of the Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix, which in turn drew the ire of Animal Harker, only to escalate the tension in light of the duo's failure to convert their TagMania 7 win to tag team gold. Given the disfunction, Torii and Taku were able to turn things around despite being the smaller team, with Taku hitting a beautiful Full Nelson Bomb on Harker for the pin.</span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> ~ Mabuchi Furusawa made his return from injury and apparently has used his time off to put some extra muscle to his frame, though the match did not go as he may have wished, especially given that Tanyu Toshusai was one of the opponents. Interestingly enough, Toshusai got the pin over Furusawa's partner, Naozane Goto, who just so happens to be the BCG Challengers Series champion, meaning that Toshusai now has the right to challenge Goto for the title.</span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#F5DEB3;"> ~ Monday Next began his BCG stint with a win as he got the pinfall in the opener, with Yuri Iliakov also looking strong in his debut. Interestingly enough, their opponents were officially announced as "Shiga United", a fun moniker fans online have been using lately to describe the group of youngsters all of who seem to have been taken under the mentorship of veteran Road Agent Masayuki Shiga.</span></p></div><p></p><p></div></p></div><p></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="LaEstrella" data-cite="LaEstrella" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50750" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Big win for SUKI there, excited to see where he goes from here.</div></blockquote><p> SUKI is the closest thing I've got to a Japanese heel. He's come to his own but already has ties to Furusawa and Toshusai, so he's got content to work with for a while.</p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="LaEstrella" data-cite="LaEstrella" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50750" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Monday Next is an interesting pickup. Interested to see how he'll fit in.</div></blockquote><p> Australia seems to be full of either ZEN types (masked high flyers and comedy workers) or DIW types (hardcore/brawl wrestlers) but he's a notable exception. Certainly a work in progress.</p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50750" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm very interested to see how Yuri will fit in as a singles. I've never seen him get a singles push. I'm also really curious if Viktor got resigned, or how much time is left on his deal to find out -- as I think the Red Devils would be an excellent foreign team.</div></blockquote><p> Viktor still has a lot of time in his contract. Could have used the Devils as a unit, but singles Yuri will do for now. Stay tuned to find out how he does.</p><p> </p><p> Also, I updated the roster post on the first page to also include the three new Black Lion Dojo graduates!</p>

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> BCG Champions 2020 Press Conference Highlights ~ With SUKI winning this year's Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix, the main event for Champions is set as he will be challenging Funakoshi for the BCG World title. The challenger was not shy about voicing his confidence, calling himself too good for Funakoshi or Black Canvas, while the defending champion was quite laconic in his commentary, saying this will be a hard match he will do his best to win. ~ Following a great first half to 2020, Marvel Malloy and Storm Spillane were finally graced with a title opportunity as they were announced to be facing Miura and Yoshizawa for the BCG World Tag Team titles at the end of the tour show. The champions themselves were absent from the Press Conference due to the injury Miura sustained while wrestling at the Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix show, but it was confirmed that Miura will be medically cleared and ready to wrestle by the date of the match. ~ Two more new signings were unveiled during the Press Conference and expected to make an impact during the upcoming tour. First one was Yuri Iiakov, 2012 graduate of the National School of Wrestling and former 21CW star as one half of the Red Devils alongside his friend Viktor Beskov. Following the split of the team, 21CW apparently decided not to renew Iliakov's contract in order to give Beskov a singles push, freeing up the territory for BCG to swoop in and snatch up the stiff brawler who had to sit out the rest of his contract before he could be revealed as having joined the Japanese promotion's roster. The other new face was the man known as Monday Next, BCG's first ever Australian signing and a quite unusual one, given the man's small stature and his junior heavyweight style. Boasting an impressive aerial arsenal that will either freshen up BCG matches or get completely hampered in favor of his striking and technical prowess, Monday Next will be tested throughout the upcoming tour and it seems the powers that be have high hopes for him. </div>

Dar is back! So excited for your return, even if it's as IPW Subscribing and will catch up when I can.

I have no idea what the hell is happening or where the hell any of this is going. Which goes to say, you have perfectly captured the ECW spirit.

Charron vs. Rey Soldado Aprendiz Jr. vs. El Orgulloso Anarchist vs. El Serpiente Ajax The Skull-Splitter vs. Jose Flamenco La Bestia Morada vs. Samael The Accuser Cyclops vs. Guerrero Muerto

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"> Fri. W3 Apr. 2020 Osaka Athletic Stadium @ Kansai, Japan Rating: 68 Attendance: 4.892, Views: 56.019 (0.07 on Shogun TV) The American Cobras vs Ichiro Mitsukuri and Ryobe Uno Lacking his injured regular partner, Ichiro Mitsukuri teamed up with Ryobe Uno instead to take on the American Cobras in the opener. Though heavy on the strikes and brawling, the match was pretty fast paced and intense, as it should be in order to get the show started off strong in an exciting fashion. In no point, of course, did the Cobras really seem to struggle, despite a valiant effort from their young opponents and Malloy got the win for his team in convincing fashion, by this point the Cobras firmly established as a highly skilled and extremely dangerous duo. The American Cobras defeated Ichiro Mitsukuri and Ryobe Uno in 10:16 when Marvel Malloy pinned Ryobe Uno with a Marvel Breaker. [56] Roku Sotomura, Sharaku Okimasa, Kadonomaro Kamisaka & Kiyotaka vs Tanyu Toshusai, Morimasa Kato, Masashi Urogataya & Omezo Shikitei Back to the classic format of multi man tag matches for the undercard, this was easily the night’s masterclass on technical wrestling, mat grappling and shoot style submissions. With several of the participants having been in the blocks for the Grand Prix, this was their opportunity to end the tour on a high note, which brought out their competitive side and made the match a lot more intense than one might have expected. Kamisaka and Kiyotaka played a large part throughout the match, their relationship tested during the Grand Prix, but eventually managed to work together and hit a couple of tandem moves, while Omezo Shikitei really shone from bell to bell, rightfully getting the tap in the finish of the match as well by tapping out Sharaku Okimasa with an STF. Tanyu Toshusai, Morimasa Kato, Masashi Urogataya and Omezo Shikitei defeated Roku Sotomura, Sharaku Okimasa and Kamisaka & Kiyotaka in 16:26 when Omezo Shikitei submitted Sharaku Okimasa with a STF. [62] Rokuemon Matsushita, Nobuharu Yokokawa & Yuta Isono vs Giant Brody, Animal Harker & Desperado Dave Barker A classic setup, this match was about pairing up two big, hard hitting heavyweights with an upcoming youngster for each team;the gaijin trio of Brody and Harker got MAW’s promising import Desperado Dave Barker, who has found so much success in Japan he actually relocated there, while Matsushita and Yokokawa had the cocky Yuta Isono on their side. Harker and the veteran Yokokawa actually proved to be the glue that held this match together, from trading blows with each other to beating down their less experienced opponents and selling the giants’ offense, with Rokuemon Matsushita once again putting on a great performance to top what some consider to be his most spectacular run ever in this year’s Grand Prix. Isono’s flashy personality also helped keep this match interesting and in a comical finish, the overconfident youngster attempted to hit the Isono Face Melter on Giant Brody, the big man never moving as he easily blocked the move before reversing it into a one handed Choke Slam for the pin. Giant Brody, Animal Harker and Desperado Dave Barker defeated Rokuemon Matsushita, Nobuharu Yokokawa and Yuta Isono in 9:40 when Giant Brody pinned Yuta Isono with a Single Handed Choke Slam. [53] BCG Challengers Series title match 15th Champion Naozane Goto vs Challenger Sojuro Sen Normally, a wrestler up against the likes of Naozane Goto would probably attempt to evade and exhaust the big man with hit and run tactics;not Sojuro Sen, who stood toe to toe with the former sumo wrestler and traded blows back and forth with him. A tough approach, but one fans seemed to appreciate as the applauded for each chop or slap while Sen struggled to give no ground to his opponent. Goto, of course, eventually got the upper hand and began slamming his opponent around or throwing his weight against him, but Sen just wouldn’t stay down for a pin. That’s when it became apparent that the challenger wasn’t out to tire the champion, he was out to outlast him on terms of sheer resilience. Goto began feeling each blow more and more from his too-tough-to-die opponent and Sen almost looked like he had it won, but in fact he got overconfident and got too close too soon with his guard down, allowing Goto to grab him for a Goto Slam and secure victory while retaining the BCG Challengers Series title. In a decent match, Naozane Goto defeated Sojuro Sen in 14:31 by pinfall with a Goto Slam. Naozane Goto makes defence number two of the BCG Challengers Series. [57] Bunrakuken Torii, Blast Ikoma & Yoshinaka Taku vs Dynamite Narahashi, Noritoshi Miura & Inejiro Yoshizawa Miura and Yoshizawa found themselves out of their comfort zone of two man tag team matches, joining forces with Dynamite Narahashi who was coming out of an unspectacular run in this year’s Grand Prix. Their opponents, three top tier singles wrestlers who had to find a way in order to function together as a trio greater than the sum of their individual parts. Interestingly enough, what might have on paper seemed like a match made to throw everyone in together and have them make an appearance in the show turned out to actually be a spectacular contest, with Torii, Ikoma and Taku all trying to one-up the other and prove who’s the better wrestler, after all three men ended their 2020 GP run in satisfactory ways but certainly not as well as they wanted. Because of that, the match was worked at a breakneck pace, quite literally in Miura’s case who seemed to harbor some sort of neck injury after the fifteenth minute of the match. With malfunctions in the BCG World Tag Team champions’ machine, the tide slowly began to turn in favor of their opponents and while Yoshizawa was trying to protect his teammate, Narahashi momentarily ended up forgotten against Yoshi Taku, who pinned him after a Full Nelson Bomb. Bunrakuken Torii, Blast Ikoma and Yoshinaka Taku defeated Dynamite Narahashi and Miura & Yoshizawa in 18:29 when Yoshinaka Taku pinned Dynamite Narahashi with a Full Nelson Bomb. [68] BCG World title match 9th Champion Funakoshi vs Challenger Razan Okamoto The show had been promoted as having a double main event and this match really proved it wasn’t just a marketing trick hyping it up. Several months in the making after Okamoto pinned Funakoshi in a match at TagMania 7, this title bout was originally scheduled to take place at Fighting Spirit but had to be moved due to Okamoto getting injured and barely missing that event. Fans were on their feet already by the time introductions were over and the two wrestlers soaked up the moment, staring each other down and letting fans wrap their minds around the importance of this matchup. Starting off with single slaps and chops, the two men traded blows in a standoff and Funakoshi, being the larger one, soon got the best of the exchange. However, once he closed in to attempt any more complicated moves, Okamoto defended himself well and either escaped or reversed them, leading to another standoff, a moment of wonder, surprise and borderline admiration from the defending champion as fans cheered. Clearly, Okamoto had used his time off to do his homework. This was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Given the pace set at the start of the match, it was surprisingly competitive from bell to bell. That’s not to say Okamoto didn’t play a lot of defense like he usually does to harbor sympathy and utilize his smaller size, but his scouting of Funakoshi’s moves and tactics allowed him to make a lot of comebacks and keep things pretty even. The champion spent a lot of time raining down the strikes and kicks but not quite managing to keep his challenger down, including a dramatic spot where he flattened him for a 2.9 count with a Cattle Rush and then the Pistol Whip Lariat, the very same moves Funakoshi had to survive in order to defeat Pistol Pete Hall when he took the BCG World title from him back in the early days of the promotion. Between that and a few other callback spots, there was a sense of history in the match, though whether Okamoto was simply being tested or the torch passed to him remained to be seen. Another story told throughout the match and what it eventually came down to, was which wrestler would be able to hit their complicated but devastating finisher first, Funakoshi’s Butterfly Backbreaker versus Okamoto’s Brainbuster Suplex. Initially blocking or escaping the setup, the competitors later on had to get more creative as exhaustion and damage taken took their toll on them, such as when Okamoto reversed his opponent’s finisher by actually leaning into its double underhook setup and getting his legs up for a rana, a move usually associated with juniors or lucha libre and thus felt quite fresh used in all-heavyweight BCG. Funakoshi instead used his power to turn a Brainbuster Suplex setup into a suplex of his own, blocking it with a stomp of his leg to generate enough opposite force in order to send his opponent up and over. Later on, when Okamoto attempted another Brainbuster Suplex, his knee gave in and he caved under the weight, the commentators bringing up his recent knee ligament injury that came up to haunt him. With that opening and this epic going past the half hour mark without ever losing fan interest, the defending champion was able to hit his finisher shortly after and make the pin, wrapping up another great title defense and a great showing from his challenger, with the audience giving both men a standing ovation for several minutes after the triple bell ring. In a bout that had superb wrestling and great heat, Funakoshi defeated Razan Okamoto in 31:28 by pinfall with a Butterfly Backbreaker. Funakoshi makes defence number four of the BCG World title. [74] 2020 Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix Final Block A Winner Big Bruiser Findlay vs Block B Winner SUKI Doing one better than the previous match so as to not be outshined by it was no small feat, but on top of featuring excellent competitors and a solid build up, the main event had the added benefit of being a one-in-a-year showdown for the coveted Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix. Both Findlay and SUKI were favourites to win their respective blocks and it made sense for them to be in this match, but at the same time their victories both came in the finale as a “come from behind” victory by overtaking whoever was in the lead by that point. What made things different was Big Bruiser Findlay having survived a block of big, hard hitting men while SUKI had mostly wrestled opponents who were less about the high impact and more about a slow paced grappling game. Weirdly enough, this made for a pretty even match, since the exhaustion and accrued damage counteracted Findlay’s size and power advantage over SUKI, as it became evident in the starting sequence. This was certainly going to be another long, slow fuse contest. Once Findlay’s handicap became apparent, instead of rushing in for a quick easy victory, SUKI gave his opponent time to recuperate and challenged him to bring it on. His antics were applauded by the audience, who were spared from ending the night with a quick and deflating match. Despite the breathing room he gave his opponent, SUKI otherwise showed no mercy and really brought the stiff strikes down on the big brawler from Cobb County, Georgia. Findlay had to play defense for the better part of the match instead of mauling his opponent like he usually does, but that’s not to say he got cornered and squashed, as all he needed was the slightest opening to retaliate with a big power move to turn the complexion of the match around. The big gaijin got plenty of comeback spots in the match, including one where SUKI attempted to put him in a triangle choke, only for Findlay to regain a vertical base and pull his opponent up, still caught in the hold, and slam him down hard on the mat. Another big moment was Findlay hitting the Atomic Spinebuster out of pure desperation, not once but twice in the match, with SUKI somehow managing to get a shoulder up on both occasions and stay alive in the match just inches before Referee Tawaraya’s hand hit the mat for a third time. The opposite happened as well, with Findlay powering out of the pin after he got hit with a Mountain SUKI, denying his opponent victory at that point. Once the match was past the half hour mark, it came down to sheer resilience, willpower and fighting spirit, with both men making a last desperate effort to pull off their finisher one more time. That was where the damage that had been piled on Findlay throughout the entire tournament became a deciding factor once more and thirty two minutes after the opening bell, SUKI managed to get the SUKI Special III locked in tight. Findlay had nowhere to go as he was caught in the middle of the ring and no power left to force his way out of the hold, but he had the toughness to stay in it for almost a full dramatic minute before tapping out, making SUKI the winner of the 2020 Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix and setting him up for an exciting title match against Funakoshi! In a bout that had superb wrestling and great heat, SUKI defeated Big Bruiser Findlay in 32:26 by submission with a SUKI Special III. SUKI wins the BCG Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix. [75]</div> <div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #2C2A2A; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";">Post show interviews and comments SUKI: "Oh so now I’m good enough to challenge for the BCG World title, huh? Yeah I earn my shots and I’m gonna earn my championship gold as well. Hell, this company doesn’t deserve a champion like me in the first place. You should be thanking me!" Big Bruiser Findlay: "SUKI was the better one tonight. He’s one hell of a wrestler, but tonight it came down to luck. I’ve had a gruelling Grand Prix and it caught up with me in that ring eventually. I’m gonna bounce back, real soon. Can’t keep a bad man down!" Funakoshi: "I have nothing but respect for Razan Okamoto. He pushed me to my limits and then some, like no other challenger has ever pushed me before. We had a great match, I’m glad the fans liked it and I’m glad I was the one to come out of it as the BCG World champion still." Razan Okamoto: "2020 has been a bumpy ride for me so far and tonight was no different. Inconsistency. Even if I’d won the title tonight, it would be by chance and I wouldn’t want my title reign to be as inconsistent as my year has been to date. I’ve learned my lessons, I’ll address my weaknesses and return as a better wrestler, a true champion."</div>

Probably intentional. Second looks like Jado with a mix of Honma, while the third's more of a Takahashi/Goto hybrid

Yup, certainly signing up for this

I just realized, one of the things I love about Lucha Lore is how it sets up stuff for the shows and pays off in the ring, first with Nachash/Cobra/Viper joining the roster and now with two new faces fighting it out to be the next Aprendiz. LuchaLore is like what Being the Elite has been for RoH/NJPW/AEW, in a way. Well played.

Oddly enough, I enjoyed the LeGrenier match, narrative and character. If nothing else, it's a nice change of pace from the usual honest, goody two shoes workers in CWI.