Welcome To Japan

KingJoel · January 23, 2009

<img src="http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg102/KingJoel_911/PGHW/PGHW.jpg?t=1232645010">
PGHW was created by Japanese legend Sadaharo Jimbo in 1996, and has been going from strength to strength ever since. They are known worldwide for the physically intense style of wrestling that they focus on, and also for the sheer quality of their matches - they regularly headline shows with breath-taking match of the year candidates. This has resulted in them achieving the rare double of not only having critical acclaim for their product, but also getting commercial success. Their meteoric rise, coupled with the continuing problems of Japan's biggest promotion BHOTWG, has seen PGHW start to push to become the biggest promotion in the country. They are the first promotion in twenty years to have managed to create a serious threat to BHOTWG's dominance.

PRIDE GLORY HONOR WRESTLING

Champions Roll Call

Yoshimi Mushashibo

PGHW Glory Crown Champion

Defeated Mito Miwa on Week 1, August, 2006

Considered by many to be the finest wrestler of his generation, PGHW pure blood Yoshimi Mushashibo is a technical master, whose Yoshimi Lock is one of the most feared moves in all of wrestling. The only question mark in his PGHW career has been whether he has the ability to carry the company. The question itself has grown louder and louder throughout the other two PGHW Glory Crown reigns, as he barely hold both for a year. But when it came to his third reign, he has embarked on a journey to silence his critics. He has thus far done so, and carried the company. His reign has lasted past a year and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to give up the title anytime yet.

Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

PGHW Glory Tag Crown Champions

Defeated PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima on Week 1, August, 2007

The young duo - consisting of the 28 year old Ryoma Muruyama and 22 year old Masaru Ugaki, faired well in their battle against Pride Glory Honor Wrestling pure blood; PRIDE Koiso and his teammate, the most talked about young talent in Japan: Kozue Kawashima, who had held the titles since September 2006. The title change happened when Ryoma was able to hit the Muruyama Launch (Reverse STO) on Kozue. The young duo have defended their titles twice, once against the former champions PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima. And they also defended their titles against Pro Wrestling SAISHO (PGHW’s child company) wrestlers Torch Nakazawa and Stone Yoshikawa on a Pro Wrestling SAISHO show.

Tetsunori Yasuda

PGHW Historical Japan Champion

Defeated Akinori Kwakanami on January, Week 2, August

Tetsunori Yasuda is the protege of the legendary Eisaku Hoshino, and a wrestler who PGHW have high hopes for. Like his mentor, Yasuda isn't the biggest fighter, but few can match his heart and determination. After a few years of paying his dues on the undercard, the latter half of 2006 saw him finally start to progress up the card. There was some talk that he would leave the promotion when Hoshino left, and follow his mentor to other promotions, but that has since proved not to be the case. He defeated Akinori Kawasaki - a three time Historical Japan Champion - via the Minilla Plunge (Reverse Tornado DDT). Has since defended the title three times, twice against Akinori and once against William Hayes.

KingJoel · January 23, 2009

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

Akinori Kwakami

Akinori Kwakami is a youngster who came through the PGHW youth system. Debuting for the promotion in 1999, he has slowly been making his way up the rankings, capturing two Historical Japan titles along the way. Seen as one of the potential "next wave" of main eventers, he got huge boost to that prospect in late 2006, when main event star Mito Miwa chose him as his new tag team partner, replacing Eisaku Hoshino who had recently left the company.

Alexander Robinson

The hard-hitting Canadian Alexander Robinson has spent most of his career in Japan with Pride Glory Honour Wrestling, where he has been extremely successful with regular partner Lee Bennett as Team Toronto, second only to the legendary pairing of Lee Wright and Raymond Diaz in terms of successful foreign tag teams. Robinson is everything PGHW fans love - tough, consistent, and technically excellent - and it is likely he'll see out his career with them.

“Pure Athlete” Art Reed

“Pure Athlete” Art Reed is a versatile wrestler, best known for his work with DAVE. He was originally trained by the Stone family in Canada, and then spent his early career toiling on the American independent scene, highlighted by a series of matches with Acid that really got him noticed. He came to DAVE in 2004, and swiftly gained a reputation for being able to have great matches with anybody. His Dread Lock finisher also got hugely over - he was taught it by the legend Sam Keith. DAVE went out of business in 2007, leaving Reed without a job. This spurred him to take advantage of a long-standing offer from his friend (ex-DAVE competitor) Eisaku Kunomasu to come and wrestle for PGHW in Japan.

Bryan Holmes

Bryan Holmes is one of the most versatile, consistent workers around, blessed with the ability to have great matches with just about anyone. For years he led a duel life, splitting his time between regular appearances for PGHW in Japan and being a major player for DAVE in the US (including winning their world title). In September 2006 he was asked to join PGHW full time, and accepted their offer.

Bryan Vessey

Bryan Vessey is the younger brother of Larry, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest all-round wrestlers in the business today. He is best known for teaming with his sibling, as The Vessey Brothers were an awesome duo, completely dominating TCW in particular, where they won six tag team titles in six years. With Larry semi-retired, Bryan has recently been able to cut loose in singles matches with PGHW, and has produced some of the best matches of his career.

Buddy Garner

Buddy Garner was formerly a highly successful MMA star. He made the conversion to pro wrestling in 1999, and soon had become a huge name in the sport with PGHW, the highlight of his career being capturing the Glory Crown. In 2004, he took over a year out of his career to look after his new-born son. He returned to action in September 2005, and was the subject of a "bidding war" between PGHW and their bitter rivals BHOTWG. He chose to stay loyal, and signed a contract to return to PGHW.

Bussho Makiguchi

Bussho Makiguchi is an extremely promising young Japanese grappler, a product of the Pride Glory Honor Wrestling dojo and protege of PRIDE Koiso. As his trainers will tell you, perhaps his biggest selling point is that he is an all-rounder in the most correct sense of the phrase; brawling ability, technical skill, aerial threat, microphone work, physical condition - Makiguchi has it all. Perhaps the only thing working against him is his size, and he is only just pushing 240lbs. PGHW brought him onto the main roster at the end of 2007, in preparation for a pro debut in 2008.

Chojiro Kitoaji

Chojiro Kitoaji is the son of the legendary Koryusai Kitoaji, the former three time PGHW Glory Crown champion and one of the men who brought ‘Strong Style’ to Japanese wrestling. Trained in the Pride Glory Honor Wrestling dojo, Chojiro had the benefit of getting tips and training with some of the biggest names in the promotion, from Mito Miwa to Shuji Inukai, all eager to help out the youngster. The spitting image of his father at that age, many think Chojiro could become a legend too. Unsurprisingly, he made his professional debut in 2007 for PGHW.

“Danger” Kumasaka

Shingen “Danger” Kumasaka is a veteran Japanese wrestler, who got his nickname from his ability to slap on painful submission holds at a moment's notice. He is a very old-school wrestler, particularly adept at mat wrestling, and is highly respected by just about everyone for being so extremely tough. In recent years he has been helping PGHW train the next generation of stars, and has had a big hand in the development of guys like Ryoma Muruyama and Kazushige Matsuki.

Dread

The massive bruiser called Dread is known worldwide as one of the best big man workers of all time, having spent over two decades churning out great matches and killing the notion that men over 350lbs can't also be skillful wrestlers. He has won titles all around the globe, but is known to particularly enjoy the very physical style employed by the Japanese. This may be why, as his career draws to a close, he has chosen to move to Japan permanently and work for Pride Glory Honour Wrestling.

“The Lord Of Strong Style” Eisaku Kunomasu

“The Lord Of Strong Style” Eisaku Kunomasu is a highly respected Japanese worker, who was one of the original stars of PGHW. He shocked Japan when, seemingly on the verge of great things, he left to join American promotion DAVE in 1998. He ended up having a pretty successful time there, before returning to PGHW and a hero's welcome in August 2005. He is one of the finest technical workers on the planet, and loves to apply submission holds, particularly his deadly invention, the Kunomasu Vice.

Joshua Taylor

Joshua Taylor is a bright young American worker who is known as being a true student of the sport. After working the US independent leagues for a few years to develop his skills, Taylor took advantage of a rare opportunity in 2004 when he was offered the chance to go to Japan and work with PGHW. He has remained a regular with the promotion, and the experience of working with legends like Miwa and Mushashibo has seen him improve rapidly. He dates AAA's young star Tracy Brendon.

Junnosuke Fukazawa

Junnosuke Fukazawa is one of the veterans of the Japanese scene, and has worked for all the major promotions at one time or another, although he is probably most closely associated with Golden Canvas Grappling. He is particularly noted for being a strong tag team wrestler, and has been a co-champion with a variety of partners. He has quite a bland in-ring style, but makes up for that with his great charisma and consistency.

Kazushige Matsuki

Kazushige Matsuki is a big muscular rookie from Japan, who had a very successful career as an amateur boxer before starting his wrestling training. A product of the PGHW youth system, he is primarily a brawler, using his punching power and accuracy to daze opponents, but he is beginning to develop more of an all-round game as the years go by. He has been paying his dues since his debut in 2004, but seem just about ready to start making progress up the card.

Kozue Kawashima

Kozue Kawashima is one of the most talked about young talents in Japan, being the sole protege of “The Pride Warrior” Mito Miwa. PGHW have high hopes for the youngster, and have been grooming him for success, including teaming him up with the more experienced PRIDE Koiso to form a popular duo. Seen as the leader of the next generation of PGHW wrestlers, Kozue has a lot of expectations to meet, but all the talent in the world with which to do it. He is said to be dating 5SSW's Yuma Maruya.

Larry Vessey

Larry Vessey is a genuine tough guy, who is best known for the tag team he formed with his younger brother Bryan. The Vessey Brothers were perhaps the most dominant duo of the 1990s, especially in TCW where they captured the tag team championship six times in six years. People do forget that as good as Bryan Vessey is, Larry is no slouch either, although age has dulled his skills. He is currently seeing out the remainder of his career with occasional matches for PGHW in Japan.

“The Real Deal” Lee Bennett

“The Real Deal” Lee Bennett is Canadian, although he has made his name entirely in Japan, where he and tag partner Alexander Robinson have had much success with Pride Glory Honour Wrestling, calling themselves Team Toronto. Their tough, hard-hitting tandem is highly regarded by PGHW fans, and is considered second only to the legendary duo of Lee Wright and Raymond Diaz in terms of foreign tag teams. Bennett is a tough, rugged competitor, just the type of fighter that Japanese fans love.

Masaru Ugaki

Masaru Ugaki is a product of the PGHW youth system, and is a protege of the legendary Yoshimi Mushashibo. Like his mentor, Ugaki is a fighter who loves the technical side of wrestling, and has a myriad of painful holds and suplexes at his disposal. He is still maturing as a worker, but all the signs are that he has what it takes to eventually be part of the ‘next generation’ of PGHW stars who will be taking over when Mushashibo, Inukai, Miwa and friends retire.

Masayuki Shiga

Masayuki Shiga is a veteran heavyweight Japanese worker, having made his debut all the way back in 1985 for GCG. He is very much a product of a past era; while utterly unspectacular in the ring, he is consistent, tough, and makes everything he does in the ring look realistic and painful. Over the past few years he has become one of the unsung heroes of PGHW, as he has unselfishly been passing on his experience and knowledge of psychology to the new generation of wrestlers.

“Pride Warrior” Mito Miwa

“The Pride Warrior” Mito Miwa is one of Japan's top stars, where he has gotten over thanks to his toughness, grasp of psychology, and ability to tell a story in the ring. He has been one of the main reasons why PGHW have been so successful. His long awaited Glory Crown reign began in 2005, but nagging injuries and some poor opponents made for a relatively disappointing run, and by the time he lost it in late 2006 his momentum had been lost and some damage had been done to his own popularity. He is currently injured with a Torn Rotator Cuff and will be back in 15 weeks time.

“Iron Man” Nobuatsu Tatsuko

Nobuatsu Tatsuko is known as the “Iron Man” thanks to his supreme conditioning and his performances in several classic 60 minute matches for PGHW over the past few years. 2004 is generally regarded as his ‘peak’ year, as not only did he hold the PGHW Glory Crown for the entire calendar year, but he also seemed to be having match of the year candidates on a weekly basis. Since losing the title in 2005 he has struggled to regain that form, and seems stuck in a rut.

“Dynamic” Noriyori Sanda

“Dynamic” Noriyori Sanda is a brilliant worker, and is generally considered to be the most athletically gifted wrestler in all of Japan. An all rounder, Sanda can do everything from brawling, to chain wrestling, to high flying aerial antics. A product of the youth ranks, he has been slowly rising up the rankings in PGHW, paying his dues along the way. As 2007 begins, he is on the brink of the main event scene, helped enormously by being the regular tag partner of the legendary Nobuatsu Tatsuko.

PRIDE Koiso

Yasunobu “PRIDE” Koiso is a PGHW pure blood, and the protege of the legendary Nobuatsu Tatsuko. A fantastic worker with staggering amounts of charisma, the company have been grooming him for success ever since he graduated the dojo system. Although he came into wrestling much later than most, his strong work ethic has allowed him to make up for lost time pretty quickly, and he as 2006 ended he was on the verge of cracking the main event scene.

“The Monster” Raymond Diaz

“The Monster” Raymond Diaz is American, but while virtually unknown in his homeland, he has become semi-legendary in Japan. This is due to his tag team work with Lee Wright; together, the two rugged US workers dominated the PGHW tag scene for ten years, and are considered the greatest duo in the company's history. Wright retired from Japanese wrestling in 2006, and Diaz is now working solo. The Japanese fans absolutely adore his incredibly brutal, physical style of wrestling.

Ryoma “The Rocket” Muruyama

The high flying Ryoma “The Rocket” Muruyama is a talented worker, another of the many exceptional PGHW students who have started to dominate the promotion's midcard in recent years. Ryoma is something of an oddity though; while most of the young wrestlers that PGHW have developed are hard-hitting middleweights, much like the current main eventers, he is a flashy cruiserweight. Whether this will give him a unique edge, or stall his career, remains to be seen.

“The Untochable” Shuji Inukai

“The Untouchable” Shuji Inukai is one of the big names who have made PGHW the premier organisation for amazing match quality over the past decade or so. Inukai boasts incredible toughness, being able to withstand unbelievable amounts of punishment, and a brilliantly vicious, stiff style of attack. A former two-time PGHW Glory Crown holder, he has been a constant threat to the title for many years. He is also known for his awesome tag team with Yoshimi Mushashibo, Team Dynasty 2000.

Tetsunori Yasuda

Tetsunori Yasuda is the protege of the legendary Eisaku Hoshino, and a wrestler who PGHW have high hopes for. Like his mentor, Yasuda isn't the biggest fighter, but few can match his heart and determination. After a few years of paying his dues on the undercard, the latter half of 2006 saw him finally start to progress up the card. There was some talk that he would leave the promotion when Hoshino left, and follow his mentor to other promotions, but that has since proved not to be the case.

Washi Heat

Washi Heat is something of an enygma in Japan, simply because he wears a mask. This is something usually synonymous with the Junior wrestlers, but Washi is very much a part of the heavyweight division, relying on technique and stiff brawling rather than any high flying, flashy moves. Some have speculated he wears it for a much more practical reason, to hide some facial scars. A decent wrestler with a lot of potential, in 2006 he left BHOTWG to join PGHW, as it better suited his style.

William Hayes

William Hayes is an American worker who is best known for his work in Japan for Pride Glory Honour Wrestling. Breaking into the sport in the US in 1999, and then calling himself “Slick Willy“, he was quickly tipped for success based upon his natural charisma and athleticism. However, for some reason, he never got the break expected. In 2003 he toured with PGHW for the first time, and showed such potential that the company took the unusual step of offering him a full time position on the roster. He accepted, and has been a fixture on PGHW cards ever since.

Yoshimi Mushashibo

Considered by many to be the finest wrestler of his generation, PGHW pure blood Yoshimi Mushashibo is a technical master, whose Yoshimi Lock is one of the most feared moves in all of wrestling. The only question mark in his PGHW career has been whether he has the ability to carry the company, a question that has gotten louder since 2001 as neither of his two Glory Crown reigns lasted a year. In 2006 he equalled Koryusai Kitoaji's record of three reigns, and now looks to silence his critics.

OTHERS

Announcers:

Keiji Takeda and Tsunayoshi Yamamoto

Color Commentators:

Sosa Morri and Hyobe Oshin

Referees:

Shihei Nagano and Yugoro Adachi

Road Agents:

Koryusai Kitoaji and Sadaharu Jimbo

Owner/President Of Pride Glory Honor Wrestling:

Sadaharu Jimbo

KingJoel · January 23, 2009

President of Pride Glory Honor wrestling, Sadaharu Jimbo held a press conference to discuss the upcoming Tour Of PRIDE. The tour will be the first tour of the year and will primarily be used to hype the next tour, next month. The tour is also being used to find the best wrestler at the moment to challenge Yoshimi Mushashibo for his Glory Crown Title; which he has held for nearly two years. Talk of Mito Miwa facing Yoshimi for his return match have been spread around, though it seems highly likely -- a clash between Buddy Garner and Yoshimi Mushashibo, following their staredown at the last tour of the year 2007: Tour Of WRESTLING, is also likely. Jimbo has stated at Night Of FORTITUDE, there will definitely be a Glory Crown clash.

In regards to the other titles, Sadaharu Jimbo tells reporters that the Glory Tag Crown will be defended at Night Of PRIDE, as current champs Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki will defend against Team Toronto, in a match that seems to be already -- from one’s standpoint, a Match of The Year candidate. Meanwhile, the Historical Japan Title is seemingly going to be defended at Night Of PRIDE; however, we do not know as of yet.

In the news of Gaijins for the tour. “Pure Athlete” Art Reed and Joshua Taylor will return for another round whilst the usual suspects William Hayes and Raymond Diaz return, however there hasn’t been any talk of any more Gaijins joining up, but remember we are at the early stage of the announcements and anything can happen within this one month before this tour begins. Meanwhile, this is the announced Tour card with Night Of PRIDE still being a mystery.

“Tour Of Pride”

Monday, Week One, March

Koichi Stadium

1. Art Reed and Joshua Taylor vs. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Washi Heat

3. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda and Nobuatsu Tatsuko

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Akinori Kwakami and Kozue Kawashima

5. Bryan Vessey vs. PRIDE Kosio

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Buddy Garner and Raymond Diaz

“Tour Of Pride”

Wednesday, Week One, March

Yanagawa Citizen Gymnasium

1. Bryan Holmes vs. Joshua Taylor

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Junnosuke Fukazawa

3. Danger Kumasaka, Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread

4. Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Buddy Garner

5. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett vs. PRIDE Koiso and Raymond Diaz

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

“Tour Of Pride”

Tuesday, Week Two, March

Akita Stadium

1. Kazushige Matsuki, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Art Reed, Joshua Taylor and William Hayes

2. Dread vs. Akinori Kwakami

3. Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat vs. Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, Eisaku Kunomasu and Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Bryan Vessey, Buddy Garner, Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

“Tour Of Pride”

Thursday, Week Two, March

Sendai City Gymnasium

1. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

2. William Hayes vs. Kazushige Matsuki

3. Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Noriyori Sanda vs. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat

4. PRIDE Kosio and Kozue Kawashima vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

5. Bryan Vessey vs. Tetsunori Yasuda

“Tour Of Pride”

Friday, Week Three, March

Fukuoka Athletics Stadium

1. Joshua Taylor vs. Buddy Garner

2. Noriyori Sanda, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama, Masaru Ugaki and Washi Heat

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa vs. Shuji Inukai

4. Bryan Holmes and Dread vs. Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. Bryan Vessey

“Tour Of Pride”

Sunday, Week Three, March

Gifu Industrial Hall

1. Art Reed vs. Chojiro Kitoaji

2. Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa, Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, William Hayes and Washi Heat

4. Masaru Ugaki vs. Nobatsu Tatsuko

5. Bryan Vessey and Buddy Garner vs. Eisaku Kunomasu and Shuji Inukai

“Night Of PRIDE”

Friday, Week Four, Match

Mie Prefectural Sun Arena SA

1. Glory Tag Crown: Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

hrdcoresidebrns · January 23, 2009

YES! TWO PGHW diaries starting at once! It's like Christmas in my head.

This one looks tremendous, and I love the format - very similar to RazorsEdge's seemingly short-lived GCG dynasty (which is a very good thing). Can't wait to see where this one goes.

FINisher · January 23, 2009

YES! TWO PGHW diaries starting at once! It's like Christmas in my head.

This one looks tremendous, and I love the format - very similar to RazorsEdge's seemingly short-lived GCG dynasty (which is a very good thing). Can't wait to see where this one goes.

Was the good thing the format or that RazorsEdge's diary was short-lived? Joking aside, it's awesome to see Japan getting some love. Looking forward to this aswell TrekkieMonsta's take on PGHW.

Tigerkinney · January 23, 2009

It's the 'come along like buses' cliche. You wait for a PGHW diary for ages, then two come along at once.

I'll definately be following Trekkeimonsta's take on PGHW as I enjoyed his previous diaries for WLW and SOTBPW, however if your show write-ups (and those are the bread and butter for a puro diary) are good enough, then you'll have me on board as a reader also.

TrekkieMonsta · January 23, 2009

I'm on board as well, always happy to see any part of Japan getting some love

.

KingJoel · January 24, 2009

President of Pride Glory Honor Wrestling, Sadaharu Jimbo held a press conference this past week to talk about the “Night Of PRIDE”, the finish to the “Tour Of PRIDE”. Jimbo had announced that Golden Canvas Grappling was to take part in the event. The most notable person from GCG was Hiroyasu Gakusha, a man who has come up short against Pistol Pete Hall in an attempt to gain the GCG Heavyweight Title. Gakusha, just 29 years old, is putting on some great performances and will do when he battles PGHW mainstay, Shuji Inukai. Inukai, who will be teaming with Yoshimi Mushashibo throughout the “Tour Of PRIDE” looks to score one or the PGHW camp.

Meanwhile, Samoan Machine, the young Samoan who has been impressive in GCG recently has been also confirmed for the card, along with his partner Rhino Umaga. The duo, who are confirmed as the last of the GCG stars on the card will go against PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima. The tag team match, which started talk amongst the reporters was instantly dubbed as the match which could most certainly be, one of the best matches on the show.

Glory Crown Champion -- Yoshimi Mushashibo -- is looking forward to his next title defence at “Night Of FORTITUDE” as at “Night Of PRIDE” he tackles Eisaku Kunomasu. “The Lord Of Strong Style”, who has certainly lives up to his nickname in recent years, will be the one to test Yoshimi before his supposed ‘big’ title defence in April. However, in past meetings with Kunomasu, Yoshimi has lost. But come “Night Of PRIDE” he will try his best, to topple the legend in one on one action. Sadaharu Jimbo left on another high-note by announcing Tetsunori Yasuda will be battling Nobuatsu Tatsuko one on one. There is good news and bad news about this. The good news is, Yasuda will actually gain whether win, lose or draw. The bad news is, Nobuatsu Tatsuko has yet to produce an interesting match following a dire 2007.

Sadaharu Jimbo will finalize the "Night Of PRIDE" card, come next week.

“Tour Of Pride”

Monday, Week One, March

Koichi Stadium

1. Art Reed and Joshua Taylor vs. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Washi Heat

3. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda and Nobuatsu Tatsuko

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Akinori Kwakami and Kozue Kawashima

5. Bryan Vessey vs. PRIDE Kosio

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Buddy Garner and Raymond Diaz

“Tour Of Pride”

Wednesday, Week One, March

Yanagawa Citizen Gymnasium

1. Bryan Holmes vs. Joshua Taylor

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Junnosuke Fukazawa

3. Danger Kumasaka, Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread

4. Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Buddy Garner

5. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett vs. PRIDE Koiso and Raymond Diaz

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

“Tour Of Pride”

Tuesday, Week Two, March

Akita Stadium

1. Kazushige Matsuki, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Art Reed, Joshua Taylor and William Hayes

2. Dread vs. Akinori Kwakami

3. Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat vs. Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, Eisaku Kunomasu and Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Bryan Vessey, Buddy Garner, Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

“Tour Of Pride”

Thursday, Week Two, March

Sendai City Gymnasium

1. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

2. William Hayes vs. Kazushige Matsuki

3. Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Noriyori Sanda vs. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat

4. PRIDE Kosio and Kozue Kawashima vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

5. Bryan Vessey vs. Tetsunori Yasuda

“Tour Of Pride”

Friday, Week Three, March

Fukuoka Athletics Stadium

1. Joshua Taylor vs. Buddy Garner

2. Noriyori Sanda, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama, Masaru Ugaki and Washi Heat

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa vs. Shuji Inukai

4. Bryan Holmes and Dread vs. Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. Bryan Vessey

“Tour Of Pride”

Sunday, Week Three, March

Gifu Industrial Hall

1. Art Reed vs. Chojiro Kitoaji

2. Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa, Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, William Hayes and Washi Heat

4. Masaru Ugaki vs. Nobatsu Tatsuko

5. Bryan Vessey and Buddy Garner vs. Eisaku Kunomasu and Shuji Inukai

“Night Of PRIDE”

Friday, Week Four, Match

Mie Prefectural Sun Arena SA

1. Glory Tag Crown: Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

2. Samoan Machine and Rhino Umaga vs. PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima

3. Shuji Inukai vs. Hiroyasu Gakusha

4. Tetsunori Yasuda vs. Nobuatsu Tatsuko

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

KingJoel · January 24, 2009

Though the tour overall looks weak, Sadaharu Jimbo made “Night Of PRIDE” above the rest. How would he do that? By making what possibly could be, a groundbreaking showdown. Since Mito Miwa was given the exact date on when he will return, overshooting the date for “Night Of FORTITUDE”, there has been talk of Buddy Garner being the exact one to face Yoshimi Mushashibo for the Glory Crown. But before he can do so, Buddy Garner will take on Akinori Kwakami one on one -- for the first time in singles action. Kwakami, who is an up-and-comer in the company looks to score a big win over the former MMA Superstar, which will like Tetsunori Yasuda’s match increase his profile win, lose or draw.

The trio of Chojiro Kitoaji, Bussho Makiguchi and Noriyori Sanda will go head to head, representing Pride Glory Honor Wrestling against World Level Wrestling’s (The company which now has a working agreement with PGHW) top headliners: Awesome Thunder, Bairei Yasujiro and Dark EAGLE. The World Level Wrestling trio are all known around the internet for their daredevil moves, especially Bairei Yasujiro who was the one who delivered a stunning Phoenix Splash off a scaffold platform onto Dark EAGLE at a recent WLW show.

Meanwhile, Bryan Vessey and Raymond Diaz will team up to take on Bryan Holmes and his big monster of a tag team partner, Dread. Dread, who is over 350lbs is one of the best big men (next to Vengeance) in the business today, putting other big men to shame. Meanwhile, Bryan Vessey is on great form following a successful year in PGHW -- though he still hasn’t captured the Glory Crown. Vessey, is predicted to do so later this year.

The final matches on the card, is a clash between Art Reed and Washi Heat (Pre show match) -- not one of the best matchups on the card, but it could surprise us, and it’s the same situation with the Kazushige Matsuki versus Danger Kumasaka clash.

“Tour Of Pride”

Monday, Week One, March

Koichi Stadium

1. Art Reed and Joshua Taylor vs. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Washi Heat

3. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda and Nobuatsu Tatsuko

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Eisaku Kunomasu vs. Akinori Kwakami and Kozue Kawashima

5. Bryan Vessey vs. PRIDE Kosio

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Buddy Garner and Raymond Diaz

“Tour Of Pride”

Wednesday, Week One, March

Yanagawa Citizen Gymnasium

1. Bryan Holmes vs. Joshua Taylor

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Junnosuke Fukazawa

3. Danger Kumasaka, Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread

4. Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Buddy Garner

5. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett vs. PRIDE Koiso and Raymond Diaz

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

“Tour Of Pride”

Tuesday, Week Two, March

Akita Stadium

1. Kazushige Matsuki, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Art Reed, Joshua Taylor and William Hayes

2. Dread vs. Akinori Kwakami

3. Masaru Ugaki vs. Noriyori Sanda

4. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat vs. Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, Eisaku Kunomasu and Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Bryan Vessey, Buddy Garner, Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

“Tour Of Pride”

Thursday, Week Two, March

Sendai City Gymnasium

1. Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki

2. William Hayes vs. Kazushige Matsuki

3. Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Noriyori Sanda vs. Tetsunori Yasuda and Washi Heat

4. PRIDE Kosio and Kozue Kawashima vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

5. Bryan Vessey vs. Tetsunori Yasuda

“Tour Of Pride”

Friday, Week Three, March

Fukuoka Athletics Stadium

1. Joshua Taylor vs. Buddy Garner

2. Noriyori Sanda, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama, Masaru Ugaki and Washi Heat

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa vs. Shuji Inukai

4. Bryan Holmes and Dread vs. Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga

5. Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. Bryan Vessey

“Tour Of Pride”

Sunday, Week Three, March

Gifu Industrial Hall

1. Art Reed vs. Chojiro Kitoaji

2. Bussho Makiguchi vs. Ryoma Muruyama

3. Junnosuke Fukazawa, Danger Kumasaka and Masayuki Shiga vs. Tetsunori Yasuda, William Hayes and Washi Heat

4. Masaru Ugaki vs. Nobatsu Tatsuko

5. Bryan Vessey and Buddy Garner vs. Eisaku Kunomasu and Shuji Inukai

“Night Of PRIDE”

Friday, Week Four, Match

Mie Prefectural Sun Arena SA

0. Art Reed vs. Washi Heat

1. Chojiro Kitoaji, Bussho Makiguchi and Noriyori Sanda vs. Awesome Thunder, Bairei Yasujiro and Dark EAGLE (WLW)

2. Kazushige Matsuki vs. Danger Kumasaka

3. Samoan Machine and Rhino Umaga (GCG) vs. PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima

4. Buddy Garner vs. Akinori Kwakami

5. Bryan Vessey and Raymond Diaz vs. Dread and Bryan Holmes

6. Tetsunori Yasuda vs. Nobuatsu Tatsuko

7. Glory Tag Crown: Ryoma Muruyama and Masaru Ugaki vs. Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

8. Shuji Inukai vs. Hiroyasu Gakusha (GCG)

9. Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

KingJoel · January 27, 2009

Pride Glory Honor Wrestling News

Pride Glory Honor Wrestling 01/03/08

Tour Of PRIDE

Koichi Stadium (Shikoku)

Attendance: 2,877

The Tour Of PRIDE, PGHW’s first tour of the year kicked off in smooth fashion, in front of 2,877 spectators inside the Koichi Stadium, with the opening contest featuring Gaijins: Joshua Taylor and Art Reed. The two teamed together to take on the young duo of Bussho Makiguchi and Chojiro Kitoaji, collectively known as KitoGuchi. The contest started with the “Pure Athlete” and Bussho making some quick exchanges, which featured a series of Arm Drags, forearm smashes and even a series of stiff kicks. The two slowed down a bit for the crowd as they went down to the mat, Reed used his technical expertise to apply a Chickenwing Crossface, however Makiguchi escaped. Reed continued his dominance and soon hit a DDT, which was followed up by a Hangtime Moonsault attempt -- which he missed. Makiguchi made the tag to Chojiro who started working over the abdominal area with various submissions including a Full Nelson variation where he sat on Reed’s back. Kitoaji, tried to finish this match early with the Kitoaji Lariat but Reed evaded the attempt and tagged in Taylor who came in all guns blazing. Right hands, left hands, Clotheslines and Suplexes were involved in Joshua’s stint as he even hit his signature Taylor-Missile (Springboard Cross Body Block). A blind tag literally saved Kitoaji from anything else as Makiguchi stepped inside the ring and hit a Dropkick, the move was almost followed by the Blazing Elbow -- but Taylor ducked and hit the Dragon Suplex; which was proceeded by a tag and a Hangtime Moonsault from Art Reed, giving them the victory. [C]

Kazushige Matsuki and Washi Heat were up next inside the ring, in an okay match. Kazushige and Heat got off to a sluggish start, blowing the chain wrestling exchanges. Though Heat picked up the quality of the match and locked in a Front Facelock. Matsuki, used his strength to break out of it and tried brutalizing Heat with the feared Fist Of Fury (Heart Punch). Though, it wasn’t to be as Heat reversed the attempt into a Armbar. Heat picked apart the arm from that point and even started to stomp on it, before looking to lock in a Cross Armlock. Yet again, the bull Matsuki broke out of the submission using his strength and got on the offensive blowing a Gutwrench Suplex and a Suplex. But he failed to blow a simply beautiful Flying Splash off the top rope; for a two count. Kazushige looked to dust off Washi Heat for good with a Backdrop Driver, but a rollout and a Washi Explosion (Exploder Suplex) sealed the victory for Washi Heat. [D]

The Glory Tag Crown Champions; Masaru Ugaki and Ryoma Muruyama had their hands full when they battled the man, simply known as “Iron Man” -- Nobuatsu Tatsuko -- and his partner, Noriyori Sanda. The tag team match, which lasted well over 20 minutes, started off with Ryoma and Noriyori exchanging Arm Wringer’s and Arm Drags before picking up the pace with a plethora of reversals. Noriyori was thrown to the outside following a reversal to his Vortex Crush (Leg Hook Swinging Fireman’s Carry Slam) as Ryoma landed on his feet rather than on his neck. “The Rocket” lived up to his nickname as he ran back and fourth inside the ring, until Sanda reached his feet on the outside. Once he did, Ryoma soared over the top rope with a simply breathtaking Suicide Dive. The action spread inside the ring and once again slowed down as Ryoma started working over the upper body of Sanda, getting him ready for Ugaki’s feared Ugaki Clutch. When a Camel Clutch went awry, Sanda took advantage and made the tag to Nobuatsu who is looking to silence critics by having a fantastic 2008. Tatsuko threw the much lighter Ryoma around like a rag doll with various moves including a German Suplex. Muruyama rallied back, reversing a Powerbomb with a Hurricanrana which allowed him to tag in Masaru. Ugaki delivered stiff chops to Tatsuko who looked for refuge in the corner, but it didn’t help as he was prone to more of the devastating chops. The 22 year old dragged “Iron Man” to the centre of the ring and looked to apply the Ugaki Clutch (Dragon Sleeper with Scissors) though Tatsuko blocked the move. Nobuatsu sent Ugaki across the ring and when he rebounded back, he slammed him to the canvas with a somewhat brutal Spinebuster which was proceeded by a Tatsuko Driller. It was almost the end, but Muruyama broke up the pinfall. Nobuatsu for the next five minutes worked over Ugaki’s neck and legs before tagging out to Noriyori Sanda. Sanda pulled Ugaki up to his feet and placed him between his legs, looking to hit the Full Body Powerbomb. Ugaki had other plans meanwhile, slipping down behind Sanda and applying the Ugaki Clutch. The crowd applauded as Sanda narrowly avoided submitting by grabbing the bottom rope. The match slowly picked itself up and Ugaki was still taking on Sanda. Though, “Dynamic” took the initiative and hit a Vortex Crush followed by his Dynamo Flying Elbow but it didn’t lead him to a victory. Nobuatsu Tatsuko entered the ring following a tag, and dominated Masaru -- a Superplex seemed to be the end of the match, but Ugaki managed to pull out the ‘Fighting Spirit’ after being raised to his feet. An Enziguri lead to a tag as “The Rocket”, despite the size difference used all he could to knock Tatsuko off his feet. But it was the Muruyama Launch (Jumping Reverse STO) that did so. A Sweep/Muruyama Launch combination followed as Nobuatsu was out for the count. However, a save was made by Noriyori Sanda who sent Ugaki out of the ring and then selflessly threw himself onto him, and just as that happened; Tatsuko was getting prepared for the Muruyama Launch but he counters the move with a Tatsuko Clutch (Cross Legged STF) for the submission victory. Following the match, both teams exchanged handshakes as a sign of respect. [b-]

The next match, was another tag team affair just going under the 20 minute mark. “The Lord Of Strong Style” Eisaku Kunomasu teamed up with the Historical Japan Champion: Tetsunori Yasuda. Their opponents were Akinori Kwakami and Kozue Kawashima. “The Lord Of Strong Style” and Kwakami got things rolling. The 37 year old Kunomasu didn’t seem his age for the opening sequence of chain wrestling, as he seemed like a person 15 years his junior. Rolling through Arm Wringer attempts and tackling Kwakami to the ground with a Snapmare, followed by a Surfboard. The former two-time Historical Japan Champion broke out of the move, but fell victim to a Sweep and a Body Scissors. Eisaku’s gameplan was simple -- keep Akinori grounded. And it was prevailing, slowly but surely. After a minute of squeezing the air out of Kwakami, with a move that was used as a finisher back in the 1950’s; “The Lord Of Strong Style” picked up Kwakami and dragged him to Yasuda, who tagged in. Yasuda picked up where Eisaku left off from and that was working over Akinori and keeping him grounded from making the tag. Using the move used earlier by Eisaku -- the Body Scissors -- Yasuda was able to keep the man he has faced three times, all for the Historical Japan title, down. But not for long, Kwakami managed to perform a backwards roll, into a pinfall attempt which forced Yasuda to break the hold. Kwakami takes control of the match with some right hands, sending Yasuda to lean on the ropes. The practitioner of the Minilla Plunge was given a few chops and was then tossed to the canvas before being kicked in the head. Kwakami took the action to the outside, which triggered a short brawl. It was forearms galore, but Kwakami came out on top, hitting a DDT. The former Historical Japan Champion made the tag and Kozue Kawashima awaited Yasuda to get inside the ring. Tetsunori rolled inside the ring at the count of 16, but was ambushed before he could get back up. Kawashima starts to make Tetsunori scream with various submission holds, before getting Yasuda to his feet and hitting a Tiger Suplex with the bridge pinfall. It was only a two count. The protégé of “Pride Warrior” Mito Miwa, looked to give a small tribute to his mentor by trying to deliver the Pride Bomber (Running Calf Kick). Yasuda moved out of the way and tried to hit the Minilla Plunge (Tornado Reverse DDT) but that was countered. Kawashima and Yasuda soon collided in the middle of the ring following exchanges of right hands which ended with a Lariat, to each other. Their respective partners soon got the tag as Kunomasu and Kwakami looked to goto the finish. After Kwakami hit a Running Powerbomb, he grabbed Kunomasu and tried to finish the match off with the Red Star Neckbreaker (Straightjacket Neckbreaker). “The Lord Of Strong Style” rolled through it, locking in a neat looking Kunomasu Vice (Anaconda Vice). Kwakami struggled at first, but soon gave up and submitted. ['B]

Bryan Vessey and PRIDE Koiso’s belting match-up was next as both men started off, trading blows. Vessey, the six time TCW Tag Team Champion, got the upper hand on the PGHW pure blood before tackling him down to the ground with a messy Headlock Takeover. Koiso managed to break out of it and get towards his feet, surprising Vessey with a Roundhouse Kick. A flurry of Roundhouses followed as Vessey backed into the corner, looking for refuge but was pulled out of the corner and thrown to the canvas. He was lit up with a kick to the spinal cord, and then the head sending him onto his back. With Vessey looking up at the arena lights, Koiso takes advantage and locks in the Boston Crab pulling back extremely hard. Vessey forces a break by going to the ropes, as he gets back to a vertical base. The two stay apart from each other for a little while, before going to the test of strength, which Vessey wins and sweeps the back leg of PRIDE Koiso, sending him to the canvas. A quick bridge pinfall follows as Bryan gets the two. The greatest all-arounder in the business today grabbed Koiso by his head and slammed him against the top turnbuckle, before hitting an Enziguri -- Koiso was then pulled right back up again and slammed down with a Clothesline. Vessey continues his dominance before locking in a Single Leg Crab, revenge for the Boston Crab applied by Koiso around about a minute ago. PGHW’s pure blood manages to slip away and take advantage, with a kick to the stomach. Koiso Cutter attempt failed, and at the same time sends Koiso to the ropes. PRIDE Koiso comes back to a wicked Springboard Back Elbow, electing a awesome response from the crowd. Vessey gets a two and once again pulls Koiso towards his feet. A waistlock followed but, Koiso doesn’t allow the German Suplex to happen and counters it with a Victory Roll. The two men then make quick move exchanges, for the next few minutes, neither getting on top of the action until Koiso pulled out the Koiso Cutter, from almost nowhere. The Pride Glory Honor Lariats followed, as the neat series of continuous Lariats made the crowd shout: “PRIDE! GLORY! HONOR!” when each one was hit. PRIDE seemed to have it in the bag, but a three count was not to be. Koiso was getting desperate, and tried to go for the Koiso Death Cutter (Rope Hung Cutter) -- but it was countered, and Vessey hit the Vessey Driver (Candian Destroyer/Frontflip Piledriver). Both men were laid out following the move, and the knockout count was issued. Both men got on their feet around about the same time, but it was Koiso who tried to strike first with a Lariat -- Vessey ducked, and grabbed Koiso before hitting a German Suplex, with a bridge for the victory. [b-]

The final match of the night featured the reunion of Team Dynasty 2000 -- Yoshimi Mushashibo, the Glory Crown Champion and Shuji Inukai, the only grand slam champion in PGHW’s history. The two, would be going against Buddy Garner and Raymond Diaz. The match, was started off by Diaz and Inukai who made forearm exchanges, before performing the Greco-Roman Knuckle Lock. “The Monster” virtually overpowered the much smaller Inukai and quickly slammed him down to the ground. “The Untouchable” got back on his feet and walked straight into a Body Slam, a Leg Drop attempt followed but Inukai made a quick escape. The two locked up again soon afterwards, and Shuji got on top, delivering brutal kicks to the knees of the big man, sending him into retreat. It wasn’t soon until Inukai got one up on Diaz, taking him down to the floor with a Sweep and then applying a Figure Four immediately. It didn’t stop Diaz one bit. He broke out of the hold and got towards his feet, before aiming a stinging chop to the chest of Shuji. From that point forward, it was all Raymond Diaz. Heck, he even hit a Powerslam for a two. Buddy Garner finally got inside the ring, and applied some MMA style Crossface Blows; the blows busted Inukai open near the temple area. “The Untouchable” rallied back and tagged out to Yoshimi Mushashibo, and when Mushashibo stepped inside the ring the intensity of the match increased. The two, who might meet up at “Night Of FORTITUDE” started off slow and continued to work over each other, at that pace. The two eventually started trading moves, as Mushashibo hit a wicked German Suplex followed by one thunderous Lariat taking out the former MMA star. But Garner went back to his hard-hitting style, reversing a Mushashibo-Plex II (Wrist-Clutch Exploder) and turning the attempt into a brilliant Crossface. Yoshimi battled out of the lock and proved his resiliency, going back to form and not letting the post-effects of the Crossface stop him. After the two had given it their all, Inukai and Diaz were tagged back in for a short stint as the finish was in sight. Garner and Yoshimi entered the ring following a tag, before trading blows before Garner had applied the Garner Choke Hold. All, 2,877 fans held their breathe -- Yoshimi wasn’t letting up -- and help from his tag partner saved him. Raymond Diaz and Inukai brawled to the outside whilst Yoshimi and Budd battled it out once again. Inukai got blasted with Diaz’s Whiplash Clothesline (Fake Irish Whip to Clothesline) but at the same time, Buddy Garner was hit with the Mushashibo-Plex III (Exploder Powerslam) which gave Team Dynasty 2000 the win in the match of the night. ['B]

“Tour Of Pride”

Monday, Week One, March

Koichi Stadium - 2,877 In Attendance

1. Art Reed {W} & Joshua Taylor (13:57) Bussho Makiguchi {L} & Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall after a Hangtime Moonsault

2. Washi Heat (15:54) Kazushige Matsuki by pinfall after a Washi Explosion

3. Noriyori Sanda & Nobuatsu Tatsuko {W} (22:35) Ryoma Muruyama {L} & Masaru Ugaki by submission after a Tatsuko Clutch

4. Tetsunori Yasuda & Eisaku Kunomasu {W} (25:28) Akinori Kwakami {L} & Kozue Kawashima by submission after a Roll-Through Kunomasu Vice

5. Bryan Vessey (17:31) PRIDE Koiso by pinfall after a German Suplex Hold

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo {W} & Shuji Inukai (27:40) Buddy Garner {L} & Raymond Diaz by pinfall after a Mushashibo-Plex III

Overall Rating: B

====

Sorry for the long write-up, hopefully this should get shorter in the coming tour stops before Night Of PRIDE. Oh and sorry for the quality of writing, as I said should get better (I mixed up a bunch of tenses >_<)

TrekkieMonsta · January 27, 2009

I have to say, fantastic start mate. I'll definitely be following this one for sure

KingJoel · February 3, 2009

Pride Glory Honor Wrestling 03/03/08

Tour Of PRIDE

Yanagawa Citizen Gymnasium (Kyushu)

1. Bryan Holmes (13:55) Joshua Taylor by pinfall after the Final Impact

2. Junnosuke Fukazawa (15:39) Kazushige Matsuki by submission with a Figure Four Leg Lock

3. Tetsunori Yasuda, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread{W} (13:50) Danger Kumasaka, Kozue Kawashima{L} and Akinori Kwakami by pinfall after Dread hit the Dread Bomb on Kozue Kawashima

4. Nobuatsu Tatsuko (37:41) Buddy Garner by pinfall after the Tatsuko Driller

5. PRIDE Koiso{W} and Raymond Diaz (12:45) Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett{L} by pinfall after a Koiso Cutter

6. Yoshimi Mushashibo and Shuji Inukai{W} (24:32) Ryoma Muruyama {L} and Masaru Ugaki by pinfall following a Untouchable Lariat

The opening match for this leg of the tour was a Gaijin showdown between Bryan Holmes and Joshua Taylor. Taylor started things off quickly with a Enziguri -- which didn’t keep Holmes down for long as Holmes struck with a series of elbows, which sent Joshua Taylor back into the corner. The fight was taken to the outside early as the two tore into each other with moves, but the big spot was when Taylor re-entered the ring and launched himself at Holmes with a modified Taylor-Missile. The action got back inside the ring where the two would hit each other with chops until Holmes managed to hit a STO, which was followed by a Octopus Stretch. The move itself was potentially dangerous for Taylor who had failed to find his way o the ropes, but he wouldn’t submit; forcing Holmes to pull him up and hitting the match ending Final Impact (Sit-Out Death Valley Driver) for the three. [C-]

Kazushige Matsuki made his record on this tour zero wins and two losses when he went up against Junnosuke Fukazawa. The match was slow and produced no less than one exciting exchange (which was near the end). Matsuki and Fukazawa started things off, with Arm Wringer exchanges until Kazushige sloppily threw Fukazawa over with the Takeover. An elbow driven into the arm socket followed as Kazushige looked to work over Fukazawa’s arms, stopping him from guarding himself from the dreaded Fist Of Fury. The big man tried for a Sidewalk Slam, but failed to pick up Fukazawa who turned to his outdated submission expertise by forcing Matsuki to drop to the canvas and allowing him to apply an Armbar. A plethora of submission holds follow as Matsuki struggled to keep up with the pace at which Fukazawa was applying these holds. Finally, the submissions ended and Kazushige played his power game. Hitting a Pumphandle Powerslam, Fall Away Slam and an awesome Gorilla Press Slam. Kazushige tried to go for the Fist Of Fury, but fell victim to an Armbar of which was converted into a Figure Four Leg Lock, which gave Junnosuke Fukazawa the submission victory. [D-]

The six-man tag team match was next, as the team of Historical Japan Champion: Tetsunori Yasuda, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread teamed up against veteran Danger Kumasaka, Kozue Kawashima and Akinori Kwakami. Every one in this match had at least one turn in the ring, until the match hit the ten minute mark, where the action got fast and furious. It started off with Yasuda tangling with Kwakami, as the two produced some good moves; more notably a neat Samoan Roll by Yasuda which scored a two. Kwakami managed to take back the match in his favour, following a Minilla Plunge reversal. A huge German Suplex and a Russian Leg Sweep was almost it for Yasuda, but he managed to kickout. Both men tagged out to Eisaku Kunomasu and Kozue Kawashima respectively as the two traded restholds before Eisaku scored with a big time Brainbuster. The move didn’t keep Kawashima down as the sole protégé of Mito Miwa fired back in cracking fashion after turning a Kunomasu Vice into a Triangle Choke, but the attempted submission failed. After the two could go no more, they tagged out to the only men who haven’t been in the ring: Dread and Danger Kumasaka. These two veterans, left the crowd entertained with their hard-hitting battle which featured a series of real stiff chops delivered by Dread at breakneck pace. Danger Kumasaka managed to hit a Back Drop Suplex Hold for a two before locking in the Aurora Surfboard Vice (Indian Deathlock Surfboard), prompting all teams to get in the ring and brawl. Akinori Kwakami and Eisaku Kunomasu had unfinished business as the two were brawling on the outside whilst Kozue Kawashima managed to dust off Tetsunori Yasuda and was waiting for Kumasaka to tag him in, and it happened. Kawashima made a brave attempt at delivering the Double K Driller (Jumping Tombstone) to Dread, though the weight difference was too high and Dread took advantage, hitting the Dread Bomb (Ganso Bomb) for the victory. [b-]

The near 40 minute classic performed by Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Buddy Garner was one of the highlights of this card -- the match itself proved to the fans of PGHW, that “The Iron Man” was back in form. As always with these affairs, the first few minutes was uneventful and come the ten minute mark, the two had finished with the feeling out process and gone straight for the grapples. And Nobuatsu Tatsuko thwarted Buddy Garner’s attempts at trying to get him set up for the Garner Choke Hold. Too many times Garner went for it, and it was too many times it’d failed as Tatsuko somehow found a way to counter it. After a Spinebuster, Tatsuko went back to basics by applying a Body Scissors, squeezing the air out of the former MMA Superstar. The Body Scissors was proceeded by a Dragon Sleeper as Tatsuko looked to set up for the Tatsuko Clutch, but Garner battled back, all guns blazing. A rapid combination of forearms and stiff kicks grounded Nobuatsu as Garner managed to apply the Garner Choke Hold, which nearly forced Nobuatsu to submit if it weren’t for him being nearby the ropes. Following the submission, the two engaged in various moves including a dangerous Top Rope Brainbuster from Garner. The action went to the outside for a brief moment, with Nobuatsu hitting a Powerbomb off the apron. When the action resumed inside the ring, the two men gave it their all and after a Exploder by Garner, it looked like it was going to be him walking out of the Yanagawa Citizen Gymnasium, the winner. “The Iron Man” in spectacular fashion avoided the Garner Choke Hold with a judo style takeover which was followed by his signature Tatsuko Clutch -- though it was broken in favour of a dangerous Tatsuko Driller (Elevated Sit-Out Powerbomb). Once again Tatsuko slapped on the Tatsuko Clutch, and Buddy Garner couldn’t help but submit. ['B]

We reached the semi-final as the team of PRIDE Koiso and Raymond Diaz would battle Team Toronto. All men at least got two turns inside the ring, but it was the big man Diaz who would tangle with Alexander Robinson first. Robinson throughout the first two minutes tried to hit the Canadian Violence (German Suplex followed by a Tiger Suplex followed by a Back Drop Hold) but couldn’t get past the German Suplex, as Diaz would counter it by rolling through. Raymond, as always, used his size to his advantage, throwing Robinson around like a rag doll and even hitting a Powerbomb. When Robinson managed to tag out to his partner -- Lee Bennett -- Bennett suffered the same fate as Robinson until ducking a Whiplash Clothesline and taking out the knee of Diaz. “The Real Deal” had applied a Single Leg Crab on Diaz, which left him in constant pain -- but a much needed tag to Koiso, was to his and the crowd’s benefit. The PGHW pure blood tore through Lee Bennett like a knife tearing through a steak. And he done it with pure force. German Suplexes, Back Suplexes, Snap Suplexes and the odd Calf Kick was all that Koiso used top get the crowd going. But when a Pride Glory Honor Lariat attempt went haywire, Bennett was there to take advantage along with his partner as the two double teamed Koiso until Koiso fired back, after a Flapjack/Cutter combination went wrong. As Bennett threw Koiso into the air, allowing Robinson to hit a Cutter, Koiso took down Alexander and hit a Cutter of his own. Diaz soon got back into action and gave both Team Toronto members Whiplash Clotheslines for their troubles, but soon fell victim to the Return Ticket (Lifting Spike DDT) from Bennett. Koiso got back inside the ring as the legal man soon enough and went toe to toe with Bennett before hitting a Koiso Cutter from almost nowhere, the move was the end of the match as Alexander Robinson failed to break up the pinfall.[b-]

The final match of the night was a stellar showing from both Team Dynasty 2000 and Masaru Ugaki and Ryoma Muruyama. Shuji Inukai and the Glory Tag Crown Champion, Ugaki got things started off with a series of near pinfalls and rest holds before Inukai locked in a Spinning Toe Hold, the move that did not foce Ugaki to submit. After a short stint, both men tagged out to their partners. Yoshimi Mushashibo, the Glory Crown Champion, was outwrestled by Ryoma Muruyama in the early going, but rallied back by hitting a series of stiff chops and then taking Ryoma down with a Amateur Wrestling Takedown. Muruyama’s legs were worked over following the move, as Yoshimi tried to stop the Glory Tag Crown Champion from using his main wrestling style of high-flying. However, Muruyama managed to break out of a Boston Crab attempt and threw Yoshimi to the outside before hitting a brilliant Moonsault Plancha to the outside. At the count of seventeen both men were back inside the ring and Muruyama tried for the Muruyama Launch, but “The Rocket” couldn’t quite hit it on Yoshimi who countered the move and went back to the legs. Frequent tags between Team Dynasty 2000 were keeping Muruyama down until he managed to make a hot tag to Masaru Ugaki. Ugaki met the legal man, Shuji Inukai with a Dropkick and then knocked the Glory Crown Champion off the apron with a Spinning Heel Kick. Ugaki showed his hard hitting side as he literally beat up “The Untochable” with stiff kicks before locking in the Ugaki Clutch. The Dragon Sleeper with Scissors proved to be a force to be reckoned with as even Shuji Inukai, one of the most experienced wrestlers in PGHW, couldn’t break out of it. But help from Yoshimi helped him out. Both men tagged out to their partners afterwards as Yoshimi Mushashibo took control immediately, and hit the Mushashibo-Plex II, throwing Ryoma into the corner. Mushashibo-Plex III was up next, but Yoshimi was caught by surprise following a Muruyama Launch. The move was almost enough to keep him down for the three, but it was not to be. Yoshimi soon fell victim to a neat Calf Kick/Sweep combination from both Ugaki and Muruyama who then drilled him with a Double Flapjack. When the action clamed down a bit, Shuji Inukai became the legal man, and was given a run for his money by both Ryoma and Masaru. But the final minutes of the match featured Inukai taking on Ryoma, as both their partners were laid out on the outside, following Masaru’s suicidal dive from the top rope. Ryoma looked to have sole control over his opponent as he climbed to the top rope, but when he leapt off, looking for a Double Axe Handle, an Untochable Lariat from almost nowhere, took him down and caused the loss. After the match, both teams exchanged handshakes. [b-]

KingJoel · February 3, 2009

Pride Glory Honor Wrestling president: Sadaharu Jimbo held a press conference following the second leg of the Tour Of Pride. Sadaharu says that PGHW have made some notable promotion pacts, from different parts of the world. Candian Golden Combat, FREEDOM Caribbean Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Wrestling and World Level Wrestling have a working agreement with the promotion which is ranked second in Japan. PGHW are looking to expand their promotion pacts around the world, so they can hold future shows there. There is also plans for a show in the U.S sometime this year.

Sadaharu Jimbo had moved onto the first of two main subjects of this press conference. That is next month’s tour, entitled “Tour Of Fortitude”. The tour will host the tenth annual Elite Series. Though one month late, Sadaharu Jimbo promises the wait is worthwhile as he promises to bring the best wrestlers to compete in the tournament. The Glory Crown Champion: Yoshimi Mushashibo, will not be competing this year due to a title defence scheduled for “Night Of FORTITUDE”, which will be held at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan . The winner of the tournament, will gain a Glory Crown title shot against the winner of the Glory Crown title defence at “Night Of FORTITUDE”. There will be more news as the competitors for the tournament are announced…But at the same time of this announcement, Sadaharu Jimbo announced the dates for the tour…

The final major subject of this press conference, was a pay-per-view scheduled for June entitled “PGHW Wrestle Empire”. Sadaharu Jimbo tells the press that the event will feature talents from around the world, and most notably the return of “Pride Warrior” Mito Miwa -- the man who has been out thanks to a Torn Rotator Cuff. Jimbo wasn’t going to release anymore information on this new pay-per-view as the info is ‘top secret’.

“Tour Of Fortitude”

Tuesday, Week One, April

Choshi City Gymnasium

“Tour Of Fortitude”

Friday, Week One, April

Dream Messe Miyagi

“Tour Of Fortitude”

Monday, Week Two, April

Daigo Gran Dome

“Tour Of Fortitude”

Wednesday, Week Two, April

Chiryu Welfare Gymnasium

“Tour Of Fortitude”

Thursday, Week Three, April

Himeji Nando Dome

“Tour Of Pride”

Saturday, Week Three, April

Yamato Sports Center

“Night Of FORTITUDE”

Friday, Week Four, April

Nippon Budokan

Glory Crown Title Match: Yoshimi Mushashibo vs. ???

hrdcoresidebrns · February 9, 2009

I missed some of this as I was moving the past few weeks, but this is outstanding. I love the presentation, and the photos with the show write-ups are a nice touch (DragonGate unless I'm mistaken?). Shame the match ratings aren't higher, but PGHW can be deceivingly tough, particularly in the early months. Good choice in moving the Elite Series back a month, as it's always bothered me that I'm somewhat forced into it without any real time to develop the feuds leading up to it. I'll be reading this for sure.

KingJoel · March 1, 2009

Pride Glory Honor Wrestling 09/03/08

Tour Of Pride

Akita Stadium (Tohoku)

Attendance: 5,000

Before the beginning of the show, it was announced that the 8 Man Tag Match, dubbed ‘THE OVERSEAS TAKEOVER’, was turned into a Elimination Match. Following the announcement, we went onto the first match of the evening and on this leg of the tour, featuring William Hayes teaming up with Art Reed and Joshua Taylor to go against Kazushige Matsuki, Chojiro Kitoaji and Bussho Makiguchi. The match started off with Matsuki and Reed -- the latter was using his speed to dodge the heavy hitter. Matsuki managed to finish the game of cat and mouse by grabbing Reed by the locks and forcing him down to the ground. Kazushige continued to toss Reed about before tagging out to Kitoaji who immediately hit a Tornado DDT spiking Reed on the canvas. Art managed to mount a comeback and even hit the Double Underhook Facebuster before making the tag to Joshua Taylor who started off big with his signature the Taylor-Missile. The move crushed Kitoaji and started off Taylor’s dominance. Joshua worked over Kitoaji with partner Art Reed as frequent tags and trapping Kitoaji in the corner helped them gain the advantage, but when Chojiro broke out and made the tag to Bussho, it seemed to be the beginning of the end. Makiguchi entered the ring with a huge top rope Flying Heel Kick which knocked both Reed and Taylor down. Bussho started hitting Taylor with everything he had before hitting a Blazing Elbow. The move rocked Taylor and sent him into the corner as Hayes tagged himself in. This was the cue for everyone to enter the ring as a huge brawl started. When it finished the only two men standing inside the ring was Makiguchi and Hayes -- it seemed like Makiguchi would get the win with a Blazing Elbow but Hayes blocked and hit the Slick Trick (Fisherman DDT) followed by the Hayes Fever Backbreaker (Sitout Backbreaker Drop) for the victory.

Dread’s encounter with Akinori Kwakami followed a great opener, as the two didn’t start off in the ring. Instead, Akinori was willing to get one up on his opponent, meeting him up the ramp and trying to wear him down ready for the Red Star Neckbreaker. Dread however resolutely fought back and tossed Akinori into one of the girders on the stage before dragging his lifeless body down the ramp and into the ring. Grounded Shoulder Thrusts followed as this monster was on form and he even picked Akinori up and hit a Chokeslam. The monster went for another, but in what seemed to be a surprise, the former Historical Japan Champion turned it into a Red Star Neckbreaker, mid-air. Though it only got a two, Akinori took control of the match up and started working over the legs of the big man, though he struggled to lock in moves such as the Boston Crab due to the weight of Dread. The near 400 pound monster mounted an amazing comeback, reversing an Irish Whip and then booting Kwakami in the face before dropping the Splash for a two and even hitting a Dread Bomb into the turnbuckle. Once he had hit the latter -- he followed up with another Dread Bomb for the victory.

Masaru Ugaki and Noriyori Sanda’s meeting was next as both men strived to prove that they were better than one another. The Glory Tag Crown Champion showed that he could outwrestle Sanda within the first few minutes, reversing his grapple moves and turning them into headlocks. Sanda would rally back, not allowing Ugaki to strap on the Ugaki Clutch. The wrestler’s would get onto a vertical base before trading Arm Drags. Ugaki broke the sequence by performing a Faint Roundhouse Kick to the side of Sanda’s head, nearly knocking him unconscious, by “Dynamic” fought back in a somewhat unreal mannor, exploding with kicks until Ugaki was cornered. The protégé of the Glory Crown Champion continued to endure the stiff kicks until he blocked one and sent Noriyori to the ground with a Sweep, what followed was a beautiful Sharpshooter as Masaru wrenched back -- trying to ensure that Noriyori was going to tap. He didn’t and rallied back with a miraculous comeback. The match soon ended with Noriyori’s Vortex Crush getting the better of Masaru who tried to avoid it for the last few minutes. Washi Heat and Tetsunori Yasuda partook in a very short match against PRIDE Koiso and Kouze Kawashima. All teammates got one turn in the ring before resorting to senseless brawling. Washi Heat was the legal man when Koiso hit a Koiso Cutter almost out of nowhere for the victory.

The elimination match was something to be desired after the last match left the crowd feeling shortchanged (despite the fact it was well-received). It was a spectacular match as eliminations came at random intervals. Shuji Inukai, Yoshimi Mushashibo, Eisaku Kunomasu and Nobuatsu Tatsuko took on Bryan Vessey, Buddy Garner and Canadian Violence in a match where the latter were representing the gaijins. Both teams got at least one rotation in the ring within ten minutes, and it was shortly after the ten minute mark the first elimination occurred. Canadian Violence were dominating the opposition with slick tag team moves until Nobuatsu Tatsuko reversed a Double Clothesline by ducking and then used a great display of strength to lift both members of Canadian Violence with a Back Suplex. A Tatsuko Driller followed as Lee Bennett was out for the three. Despite the 3-4 advantage, the gaijins still fought like a unit. Breaking up pinfalls and teaming together. The hottest and one of the most intense parts of the match was the near-fall encounter Bryan Vessey and Mushashibo had. The Glory Crown Champion pulled out the Mushashibo-Plex I (Pumphandle Suplex Throw). That wasn’t enough to get more of an advantage as both men ended up on the apron. It was a dangerous situation and after being kicked full in the face with a Yakuza Kick, Mushashibo was about to be used to demonstrate why. Bryan Vessey had him in position for the Vessey Plex (X-Plex) before tossing him off the apron with the move, nearly breaking his neck. Both men got back inside the ring at 19, as they tagged out to Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Bryan Vessey. Nobuatsu was starting to feel the effects from the near-40 minute match with Garner. And it showed as he was sluggish in response to Garner’s moves, the “Iron Man” finally had it when he was forced to submit to the Garner Choke Hold evening it up at 3-3. As Garner forced “Iron Man” to tap, he was ambushed from behind by Eisaku Kunomasu. The exchange between the two was breathtaking and even saw Kunomasu pull out the Moonsault. But it wasn’t enough to keep Garner down as he managed to hit the Garner Choke Hold Suplex, it didn’t keep Kunomasu down for the three. Garner tagged out to Alexander Robinson who immediately had trouble with Kunomasu and was eliminated via Kunomasu Vice minutes later. Down by one, Team Gaijin had nothing to lose. Bryan Vessey entered for a second turn inside the ring and held his own inside the ring against Shuji Inukai, ducking an Untouchable Lariat numerous times. The Inukai Driver couldn’t even hit as Vessey slipped out of it. A Vessey Driver ended it for Shuji as we were level at 2-2. Buddy Garner was eliminated five minutes later as he fell victim to a Mushashibo-Plex III and then a Yoshimi Explosion and finally the Yoshimi Lock (Crossface) -- he tapped out. It was just down to Vessey to defend the honour of the gaijins. He put up a valiant fight. He had managed to withstand Eisaku Kunomasu’s brutal assault and of course the Roll-Through Kunomasu Vice. It took one Vessey-Plex to end Kunomasu’s run just leaving the Glory Crown Champion to fend for himself. The two were resilient throughout the whole affair, at one point both men were on the outside laid out after Yoshimi’s psycho Plancha. But after a series of reversals, the Yoshimi Lock was locked in and Vessey was forced to tap out giving the Home Team the victory.

1. Art Reed, Joshua Taylor and William Hayes {W} (14:29) Kazushige Makiguchi, Bussho Makiguchi {L} and Chojiro Kitoaji following a Hayes Fever Backbreaker.

2. Dread (8:39) Akinori Kwakami after a Dread Bomb

3. Noriyori Sanda (19:42) Masaru Ugaki after a Vortex Crush

4. PRIDE Koiso and Kozue Kawashima (6:12) Washi Heat and Tetsunori Yasuda after a Koiso Cutter

5. ~OVERSEAS TAKEOVER!~ Yoshimi Mushashibo, Shuji Inukai, Eisaku Kunomasu and Nobuatsu Tatsuko (46:38) Bryan Vessey, Buddy Garner, Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett

--Order Of Elimination

--1. Lee Bennett (10:56-->Tatsuko Driller) by Nobuatsu Tatsuko

--2. Nobuatsu Tatsuko (17:03--> Garner Choke Hold) by Buddy Garner

--3. Alexander Robinson (22:20-->Kunomasu Vice) by Eisaku Kunomasu

--4. Shuji Inukai (29:50-->Vessey Driver) by Bryan Vessey

--5. Buddy Garner (34:38-->Yoshimi Lock) by Yoshimi Mushashibo

--6. Eisaku Kunomasu (39:00-->Vessey-Plex) by Bryan Vessey

--7. Bryan Vessey (46:38-->Yoshimi Lock) by Yoshimi Mushashibo

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