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BBW: Anything to Survive! [CVerse97]


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A lot of times fans, younger ones especially, look at Warrior Engine XXV and think we’re this company in Japan trying to emulate the “hardcore” promotions of the West. I think it’s ironic, because all those companies actually copied what we were doing, what we invented, way before they did. Only back then, Warrior Engine XXV didn’t exist yet. We were a much smaller company, barely known in Japan, let alone outside the country. A company named Big Battle Wrestling. Or, as fans used to call it, Blood and Barb Wire.

 

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It was the 90s or, as it is known in Japan, the “lost decade”. The growth that followed World War II and the subsequent American occupation (which, by the way, introduced Japanese audiences to pro wrestling) led to the bubble of the 70s and 80s. Back then, Japan felt like a global economic and technological superpower. The capitalist paradise on earth. Then reality came crashing down, literally, as the real estate and stock markets imploded in late ‘91 and early ‘92. No one was in any sort of a cheerful mood and as far as pro wrestling is concerned, fewer and fewer people bought the grandeur of Burning Hammer or Golden Canvas’ clinging to a glorious past. Wrestling fans wanted blood and gore, something that could connect with their depressed and desensitized souls. They wanted a shock big enough to make them forget the shock of the reality they were living in. And we gave it to them.

 

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Of course, we weren’t the only ones to sense the changing winds, but we were certainly the first ones to do so. BBW was created in January of 1996, six months before Sadaharu Jimbo created Pride Glory Honor Wrestling to bring mainstream fans a more realistic, physical, hard hitting version of puroresu. In America, they had to wait till early 1997 when Phil Vibert took over a regional New York promotion to rebrand it into Danger and Violence Extreme, now lovingly remembered as the hardcore promotion that captured that 90s angst for audiences in the West.

 

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Contrary to what many fans believe though, Vibert wasn’t the one who introduced extreme pro wrestling in America. That would have to be “Big Dunc” Duncan Kendall and Randal the Vandal, the owner and booker of Xtreme Wrestling Federation respectively. They began in late ‘95 as another New York promotion with an urge to push the envelope any way they could. That meant a sexualized product, tons of profanity and of course, graphic violence. Duncan simply wanted cheap workers willing to do crazy things for the fans, but Randal was obsessed; Randal was an avid tape trader and he dealt in three things: slasher movies, death metal and ultraviolent wrestling. That’s how he found out about 4C in Canada, back when they were still trying to establish themselves as the counterculture alternative to the painfully wholesome stuff the Stones and the DeColts have been doing forever. Duncan was on the phone with both us and 4C regarding talent trades, when Big Trouble brought up Men of Steel Combat in Scotland. Long story short, the four of us ended discussing talent trades on a pretty regular basis. Randal called it the Hardcore Alliance but I wouldn’t quite call it that. It was as much of an alliance then as the Modern Japan Movement is today. That’s probably where I based the Movement off of, come to think of it.

 

Back then in early ‘97, MoSC had it easy; they were the only ones around in the UK. European World Class Wrestling was on its way to the gutter due to trying to do too much at the same time and it would be a few years more before UCR would repeat the same mistake. 4C had some competition in Canada, at least in theory, but in reality they barely registered on CGC or NOTBPW’s radars yet. XFW was about to enter the famous East Coast Wars against DAVE and the other promotions in that area. As for us, we were in the land of the giants, caught between an electrified rock and a spiky hard place.

 

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But with my career and my company, just like with my matches, back then when I was a young man and all the way to the day I die, I would do…

 

Anything to survive!

 

Disclaimer: Information presented in this documentary may vary from CVerse canon. Any such incidents are exclusively due to the narrator's advanced age and long history of head injuries.
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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">The roster, beginning of 1997</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

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Natsuhisa Tamura was the owner of BBW back then and I was the booker. His name had already become synonymous in Japan with the violent “garbage” style of wrestling, as they called us back then, before he even set up the promotion. His body was covered with a network of scars from any number of injuries but he continued to wrestle regardless; At the time he was 43 years of age, with 25 of them spent in hardcore matches. His body was starting to give, his skills were slowly declining but he was determined to continue putting his life in danger up until the very final day he possibly can. Considering our crazy match in December of 1996, where he finally beat me to win the BBW World Warrior title, Tamura was literally willing to die in the ring if he had to in order to make this company work.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

I was 39 at the time and arguably BBW’s biggest draw. It wasn’t just the matches or promos. Like Tamura, I was willing to do crazy things, only I wasn’t limited to our shows. I had gone to TV shows and those who only got away with a shoot interview considered themselves lucky. I would wreck the studio live on air, I would connect a car battery’s electrodes to my tongue, I once “wrestled” a live python even. Wrestling fans knew I was the real deal, a legitimate psychopath and that helped the way the perceived my wrestling work. Non wrestling fans didn’t know exactly what I was all about, but they knew they didn’t want their children to have anything to do with me. Which, in turn, made us all the more appealing to that 18-35 demographic.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Lamprecht the Lunatic (or Lamprecht Kunze, if you’re a boring immigration officer) was another big name to our roster. At age 45, Lamprecht had travelled the world in his 27 year career leaving a trail of destruction behind him wherever he went. If you thought I was over the top, you should hear about the Lunatic. He probably had more unconfirmed stories about him than almost any other wrestler, including many about his origins in East Germany, fights with promoters, fights with fans and of course, some of his legendary wild brawls across 4 continents. Certainly past his best by that point already, he had made Japan his home as he felt that deathmatch wrestling was only just beginning to pick up. He could make some more money out of that before he’d retire and we’d get some more crazy matches and star power out of him until then. As a matter of fact, Lamprecht was our first BBW World Warrior and the winner of the first ever Blood Bowl, before agreeing to put me over and pass the belt.</p><p> </p><p>

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Gargoyle wrapped up the “Frenzied Four” as fans would call us. Well known in the Tohoku region of Japan, an area he'd terrorised with countless wild brawls over his nearly 30 year career by that point, Gargoyle was another aging veteran but an essential part of our initial success regardless. A lightweight who held no fear of heavyweights, his physically intense style never gelled with the lightweights of BHOTWG and as a lightweight himself, he was never allowed to compete with the heavyweights, so the sawed-off striker spent much of his career touring Japan's independent promotions, gaining particular favour for his wild brawls in the various hardcore, garbage and deathmatch style promotions before even joining BBW. At the time, he was also furious at me for my actions (or lack thereof) regarding an incident with a man known as Big Trouble.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Big Trouble, who I’ve mentioned before when I spoke about how the Hardcore Alliance came to be, was a 40 year old veteran from Chicago who had forged a 22 year career for himself through his willingness to take insane bumps and dish out extreme violence. For many years he struggled to make an impact before our scene popped up in Japan and it was there he got his first real break. After that, he would split his time causing atrocities of violence in the US, Japan and after a bit, Canada. It was partly due to his popularity that XFW got off the ground after its inception, but a lucrative tour of Australia lured him away and he never returned. By early ‘97, he was mostly spilling blood and causing trouble with 4C in Canada but he’d regularly tour with us too as his deathmatch "talents" would always draw a crowd. He also loved to make prank calls at obscene times thanks to never being in the same timezone for long, causing people like Gargoyle to wake up when they least want to.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="RbbKQ5a.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RbbKQ5a.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Botan Oonishi was our star high flyer, a 38 year old veteran from Tokyo who started his career as a heavyweight. After failing to really accomplish much in the competitive heavyweight division of the late 70s and early 80s he decided to slim down and use his natural athleticism to try to carve out a niche for himself in the junior division, where he was still one of the largest competitors due to his height. Thanks to his decent charisma and the addition of some facepaint he reached a career highlight in the BHOTWG Junior division where he competed against the likes of Elemental and Optimus, though he was never considered to be on their level. After that run flopped, he would tour with smaller indy groups, competing in some high risk matches in order to stay on the public radar. He wasn’t that much of a fan of this style of wrestling and he’d often complain about the toll it took on his body, probably because he was dreaming that one day he’d get a call from Burning Hammer of PGHW or Golden Canvas, but he was popular and his aerial stuff was over with the fans, so I tolerated him.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="hg6AqGX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hg6AqGX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hg6AqGX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hg6AqGX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p>

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Our tag team champions,or Dynasty Warriors, as they were called, were PLATINUM & SILVER, a pair of good looking juniors under the names of PLATINUM Takamatsu and SILVER Ishihara. They had the looks, they had the moves, they had the charisma, they had the experience and they had time on their side as they were both 35 years old at the time. They’d done a few tours with Burning Hammer, they’d held the QUEST Tag Team titles twice and to no one’s surprise, they were the first team to win our tag titles. Looking back at it now, it’s a surprise they stuck with BBW for as long as they did, really.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="39CYfNx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/39CYfNx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CApKygs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CApKygs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Our other big tag team was Asato Matsubara and Tetsu Onodera. Those two were the definition of “greater than the sum of its parts”. Individually, they were nothing special. However, they had trained together and that experience made them gel into a pretty solid team.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

The Wood Brothers would regularly tour with us as our resident gaijin monster tag team. Most fans these days know Larry as a singles wrestler, but back then he would team with his (fictional) brother Billy a.k.a. Alysian Scottsfield. Essentially, the Wood Brothers were the McWades before the McWades were the McWades and Larry wanted to establish them as a global threat. Canada was the start, we were the next stop and with the East Coast Wars just beginning, he was hoping they’d also land a job in the States.</p><p> </p><p>

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Another gaijin you may not know wrestled for BBW was Henry Lee. 27 years old at the time, Lee had made a huge impact when he debuted for DAVE on their first show of 1995 as he had previously been one of Big Dunc Kendall's favourite performers set to be pushed as one of XFW's top stars. This is now widely considered to have been the first shot of the DAVE/XFW war, with Dunc being forced to delay opening XFW due to losing such a big name. Henry became a big name in the war since then and he used this notoriety to secure a tour with BBW too. Billed as "The Icon of Insanity", Lee had already carved out an international reputation for performing insane stunts, bleeding and causing carnage wherever he goes. His legendary scaffold fall from 30ft through the BBW ring will live forever in the minds of those who saw it live, in the hands of tape traders around the world later and on the internet today.</p><p> </p><p>

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"The Arizona Assassin" Genghis Rahn is another big name that used to work for us back then. A wild brawler who had been brawling around arenas through the 90s and wasn't afraid to put his body on the line to get a reaction from the fans, 26 year old Rahn grew into one of XFW's most popular fighters and his bloody and violent '96 feud with I, Butcher had been one of the highlights of the promotion. Injuries were starting to take a toll on his body of course, but this only resulted in Rahn becoming more outspoken to compensate, much to the delight of XFW fans. The improvements in his character were enough for him to be brought into HGC's debuting hardcore division back before it was re-branded into TCW, where he had already put on some wild brawls and looked set to be one of the top guys in the division, but with HGC looking to rival the Eisens and the hardcore scene exploding in the East Coast, he was amicably released to the benefit of both parties.</p><p> </p><p>

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It wasn’t all maniacs, though. "Funky Monkey" Naotaka Fujino was our comedic relief guy and he got his nickname from an unfortunate incident during one of his early matches where he slipped on a puddle of water and spent several seconds trying to catch his balance, flailing wildly. Noting that it looked like a disco dance, the boys in the back christened the unfortunate young lion and he spent years trying to live it down. After spending years failing to live down the name he finally embraced it and went on to become one of the finest comedy wrestlers in the world, adopting his unfortunate incident into his act as one of his signature moves while adding a huge range of comedy spots. His career had even seen him make a number of appearances in North America by that point, though he has never became more than a cult figure wherever he went, thanks in part to the number of dance routines he had mastered.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="Q9cEzdh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Q9cEzdh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Ryozo 'Bloody' Takai specialized in the more brutal and physical matches we would present, so of course he was brought in from day one, even though he had stated he would only stick around for a while before moving on as a freelancer. His body held up fairly well despite the punishment he had put himself through over the years, but that was partly because when he wasn't engaging in violent brawls he often worked in the undercard of Japan's more “reputatable” promotions.</p><p> </p><p>

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"The Lunatic" Nobuhito Ogiwara was a young lion back then but already a psychotic brawler who had made his name entirely on bloody brawls and insane bumps, a fact that has resulted in him being seen by some as more of a stuntman than a wrestler. He had only been an active wrestler for a couple of years and had yet to have a credible straight wrestling match with anyone, but BBW being what it was, he was a perfect fit regardless.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="4bkZcub.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4bkZcub.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

The Silence was also another promising young lion, a mysterious junior whose character was known for two things; his clinical ability to use submission holds and his absolute silence at all times, even while clearly in pain. And you thought the Void in Australia is original. The Silence wasn’t just expressionless, he would never, ever speak or make a sound.His brooding character and the vast possibilities that his dark, almost assassin-like attire inspired made him a fan favourite and to be honest, I didn’t mind having a guy who could actually wrestle around.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="YKbvIkt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YKbvIkt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Another young lion that had found a home in BBW was "The Walking Dead" Oniji Hanari, a terrible worker from Tokyo, who was almost totally devoid of talent. He did however have a killer "part clown, part vampire" look and that appealed to enough fans that he frequently managed to keep himself in work.</p><p> </p><p>

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Poor Taka Hoshizawa didn’t even have such a good gimmick to go by. Not only was he bland and unskilled, he lacked much in the way of training and tried to cover up his weakness by taking crazy bumps. To make up for it all, he was super willing to do whatever crazy thing he’d be asked to and that always was a bonus with promotions like BBW.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="SIiw5hM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SIiw5hM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Last but not least was our resident jobber, Riki Toda. Small, lovable and utterly hopeless, Riki would bump like a madman for anyone and in BBW’s environment, getting the fans to actually root for the underdog was no small feat. Plus we needed someone for all the big bad fighters to demolish in order to establish themselves and Riki fit that mould like a glove.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="pM7r1m5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pM7r1m5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Then there was the masked super junior known as SHIRO. He would back his whole ninja thing with his precision kicks, slick chain wrestling and good charisma but a knee injury in late 1996 had put him on the shelf for several months and it seemed to indicate that he was a little injury prone in general.</p>

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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:14px;">Breakup, Shakeup, Makeup</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

January was an off month, but that didn’t mean we were in hibernation. In just one month we had lost a bunch of talent across the board.</p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="DcTGkH2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DcTGkH2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zlPP3Y2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zlPP3Y2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="RbbKQ5a.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RbbKQ5a.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

As was expected, our tag team champions moved on to compete in Burning Hammer’s famous junior division. What I didn’t expect was that Botan Oonishi would soon follow them, thus depriving our company from its top high flyer. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming. Botan had been very vocal about how hardcore deathmatches wore his body down in the long run and how that might cost him a chance with the big leagues. I never paid much attention, but apparently he did and it paid off in the end.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="y4954av.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/y4954av.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

As if those losses weren’t enough, Burning Hammer also snatched Gargoyle away on a written deal. To be fair though, Gargoyle had already been pushed over the edge by the backstage atmosphere in BBW and Big Trouble’s prank calls in particular, so even if he didn’t strike a deal with another promotion, he would refuse to stay with us once his contract came up. That is, assuming he wouldn’t hand in his notice before that or just straight up walk away and no show for its remainder.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="DUgFfz6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DUgFfz6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="SIiw5hM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SIiw5hM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

What puzzled me mostly was Naotaka Fujino and Riki Toda joining the Burning Hammer. I mean, sure they wanted the big crowds and TV exposure and guaranteed pay in a somewhat safer work environment, but what was the Hammer getting out of this? It’s not like they were anything greater than jobbers, they’d never aspire to become anything more than that and frankly, their kind was not that hard to find in the market anyway.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="cyJne4q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cyJne4q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Though he didn’t leave BBW, I would also be missing Mr. Miwa due to his newly attained contractual obligations with 5 Star Supreme Wrestling. That’s Akahito Miwa, Mito’s brother. I had him play the sports manager to the monster that was Big Trouble and given that Trouble was our main gaijin monster, Miwa’s absence would be felt no matter what.</p><p> </p><p>

So with all that mess going on, I had to make my moves and bring in some new bodies for the roster. First of all, I hired a bunch of young lions in hopes of investing in their gratefulness and loyalty. I was hoping for a diamond in the rough, but even I had no idea what I had set in motion.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="RvCSj5i.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RvCSj5i.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Kdw9J9O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Kdw9J9O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bwZiCVM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bwZiCVM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="t8lAELw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/t8lAELw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rmysBZU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rmysBZU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

You might recognize Koichi Kajiwara, Mamoru Nagahama and Matsudara Morioka. Those three I first met back then and they stuck with me when I set up Warrior Engine XXV. The other two were Hito Fuyuki, who you might know as Tiger Fuyuki today, and Nukenin, a promising young high flyer I was able to grab right under Burning Hammer’s nose while Komine and Kudo were busy throwing money at my ageing jobbers.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="v3byjPK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v3byjPK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ZCOwYsZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZCOwYsZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pYSF9FL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pYSF9FL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vWU94Rh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vWU94Rh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p>

Once that was done, I looked abroad to bring in some foreign talent. I,Butcher was an obvious choice, both due to his character and because bringing him in meant he and Henry Lee could rekindle their legendary XFW feud. I was also impressed by a reckless rookie by the name of Madman Boone. That’s right, he was barely in his first year as a professional wrestler back then and seeing his matches in XFW were all I needed to call him over. He introduced me to Henry Bennett, who is another man that has stuck with me when WEXXV was created. 4C pointed me towards a man by the name of Biff the Bruiser. I never saw any matches of his, all I could find was a video of him in some strongman competition where he was throwing anvils around. Clearly, that was all I needed to offer him a deal.</p><p> </p><p>

With that out of the way, I did two more things to steer the ship in the right direction. First, I added a second February show, called The First Offering. Of blood, obviously. We needed to crown new tag team champions but we also needed to counter the damages of competing against 5 Star and Golden Canvas, plus Hinote Dojo once they’d roll around town. Second, I called Natsuhisa Tamura and informed him that I would spend the rest of the year building myself up as BBW’s ace. We were in dire need of a figurehead and I had both the requirements to be that and the dedication to stick around for the long haul.</p><p> </p><p>

With that in mind, I sat down to put together the cards for The First Offering as well as our annual tournament of brutality, the winner of which would receive the much coveted Blood Bowl.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="2AQvL6T.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2AQvL6T.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p>

<strong><span style="font-size:14px;">BBW presents: The First Offering</span></strong></p><p><strong>

Main Event</strong></p><p><strong>

Iron Maiden match</strong></p><p>

Ryu Kajahara vs Henry Lee</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Semi Main Event</strong></p><p><strong>

Three Way Dance of Death</strong></p><p>

Bloody Takai vs Genghis Rahn vs Taka Hoshizawa</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>BBW Dynasty Warriors titles match</strong></p><p>

Matsubara & Onodera vs The Wood Brothers</p><p> </p><p>

Natsuhisa Tamura & Nobuhito Ogiwara vs Lamprecht the Lunatic & Madman Boone</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Hardcore match</strong></p><p>

The Silence vs Big Trouble</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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<p>In for this. Oniji Hanari! Please push this guy to the moon. Or until he lets you down too many times. About week 3.</p><p> </p><p>

BBW presents: The First Offering</p><p>

Main Event</p><p>

Iron Maiden match</p><p>

Ryu Kajahara vs <strong>Henry Lee</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Semi Main Event</p><p>

Three Way Dance of Death</p><p>

<strong>Bloody Takai </strong>vs Genghis Rahn vs Taka Hoshizawa</p><p> </p><p>

BBW Dynasty Warriors titles match</p><p>

<strong>Matsubara & Onodera </strong>vs The Wood Brothers</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Natsuhisa Tamura & Nobuhito Ogiwara </strong>vs Lamprecht the Lunatic & Madman Boone</p><p> </p><p>

Hardcore match</p><p>

The Silence vs <strong>Big Trouble</strong></p>

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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="2AQvL6T.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2AQvL6T.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <strong><span style="font-size:14px;">BBW presents: The First Offering</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="v3byjPK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v3byjPK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> I arrived at the shady Tohoku warehouse we had booked for The First Offering and for a moment, I thought the show had already begun when I saw Lamprecht and Butcher shoving each other in the parking lot. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember booking them to face each other, nor had I booked a parking lot brawl, so I rushed in to get in the middle. From what little English I knew at the time, Butcher was shouting something about Lamprecht being high on drugs and crashing onto his rental car. After I shot down Butcher’s story, since drugs were strictly banned from backstage unless Dr. Beefcake was handing them out, he probably realized that if Lamprecht was in the middle of a roid rage, he probably would have ripped his head off instead of argue with him. I then turned to Lamprecht, who was raving in a mix of German and broken Japanese, saying something about those damn youngsters learning to show respect to their elders. I told him that’s no way to welcome a new worker but he didn’t seem to care, so I added that I’d be holding the compensation money from his pay for the night. That seemed to get under his skin at last, hungry as he was to make whatever cash he could before retirement. Once they’d calmed down, I forced them to shake hands and Lamprecht apologized. Who’d have thought?</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> I stormed straight into the venue, through the locker room and out to the ring. Fans were taken by surprise and so was Tamura who hit my music after I had entered the ring, but I guess it all added to that sense of danger and unpredictability anyway. Myself, I just didn’t want my heart rate to drop from that parking lot incident. I grabbed a mic while I was still hot and ripped into Henry Lee, promising to send him to an eternal hell of pain in the night’s main event. I made sure to explain the idea of an Iron Maiden match too, a casket match but with nails hammered all through the box to turn it into an improvised torture device straight out of Europe’s dark ages. It was so genuine, fans ate it up. Big Trouble should thank me for giving him such a hot lead to his match, but being the ass he usually was, he probably wouldn’t.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="mwL0z0W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mwL0z0W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Hardcore match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="4bkZcub.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4bkZcub.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><strong>w</strong><img alt="cyJne4q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cyJne4q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> The Silence vs Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> The Silence never did land a move for the entire six minutes this match lasted, but he sold his ass off for Big Trouble. Yeah it was a squash match, but part of it was trying to sell Trouble’s character as more than just a big bad dude, I wanted him to really gain some heat by acting like a disrespectful bully and he nailed it. Probably because that’s not that far from his actual self. Miwa was great as usual, cheering his man on and passing him weapons to lay into the young lion with. After the match though, he told me fans on the front row were really cringing at certain spots, presumably because “the intense physicality was too much for them”. Well, I say f**k them.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Big Trouble defeated The Silence in 6:09 by pinfall with a Trouble Powerslam.</em></p><p> <img alt="7nXiDsK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7nXiDsK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="cyJne4q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cyJne4q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> After the match was over, the Silence retreated backstage to whine about how these kind of matches don’t play to his strengths. What strengths kid, you only had to bump around for a few minutes! In the meantime, Mr. Miwa took the time to hype up his man as the greatest thing going on while Trouble was doing his best job of looking like and angry mountain of meat in the background. Now that was playing to those people’s strengths!</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="IqChfad.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IqChfad.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tOfOq8h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tOfOq8h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ZCOwYsZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZCOwYsZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Natsuhisa Tamura & Nobuhito Ogiwara vs Lamprecht the Lunatic & Madman Boone</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> This was the only match on the card that had no special indication to it. If you know your BBW, you don’t need one and if you don’t, even better to come into this completely oblivious. This was short, wild and in your face. I mean it literally, Lamprecht even headbutted a random member of the audience out of nowhere, but apparently they loved it so I hope we’re spared that lawsuit. Tamura really pulled through this one, carrying the match and his partner who got the occasional “you can’t wrestle” chants from the fans but I’m hoping those go away with time. Lamprecht probably vented his anger from the pre-show incident here but the bastard got carried away and popped his shoulder before the end of the match, forcing it to a rushed finish. Tamura later told me Lamprecht wrestled piss drunk and wouldn’t play ball with everyone else, so they had to improvise. Not that it showed, it probably added to the violence and chaos of the match.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Natsuhisa Tamura and Nobuhito Ogiwara defeated Lamprecht The Lunatic and Madman Boone in 6:29 when Natsuhisa Tamura defeated Madman Boone by pinfall with a Murder Bomb.</em></p><p> <img alt="ozLd3Bm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ozLd3Bm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Munenori Umari was out next, leading the Wood Brothers to the ring for their title match next. Umari did his classic Napoleon routine on the mic, a mastermind trapped in a small body getting his way via big burly men who do his bidding. Fans took that as a cue for a bathroom break. Not that he was bad, but they didn’t know the Wood Brothers and thus did not care much.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="M4SOg7D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M4SOg7D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="hg6AqGX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hg6AqGX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hg6AqGX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hg6AqGX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> BBW Dynasty Warriors titles match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="39CYfNx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/39CYfNx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CApKygs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CApKygs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><strong>w</strong><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Matsubara & Onodera vs The Wood Brothers (with Munenori Umari)</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> I made this a standard match on the fly, not in hopes the fans wouldn’t cringe again but because I realized Matsubara & Onodera don’t know what to do with a folding chair besides sit on it. That translated into the match too, Matsubara looked like he’d taken a wrong turn on the way to a Golden Canvas show while Onodera stuck to classic strong style puroresu, openly refusing to pick up a weapon. To no one’s surprise, neither was well received by the fans. The Wood Brothers on the other hand really struck a chord with the audience, especially when they pulled out two tables and set them up. It didn’t matter that backfired and they were the ones who ended up crashing through them, fans loved those two and by the time Billy ate the pin (albeit with Matsubara holding onto his pants) I found myself questioning whether I had made the right call.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="M4SOg7D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M4SOg7D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> Three Way Dance of Death</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="Q9cEzdh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Q9cEzdh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="k8tfSV4.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k8tfSV4.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hem3Gdz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hem3Gdz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Bloody Takai vs Genghis Rahn vs Taka Hoshizawa</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Back to hardcore matches, with two great competitors and a worthless idiot who was there to get beat up and pinned. Rahn and Takai really looked like they were out to murder each other, with Hoshizawa trying to get involved again and again only to eat some sort of double team move from the other two who were trying to have a singles match on their own. Rahn set up a ball of barbed wire onto a corner, but he never got to use it. Instead, Takai kicked Hoshizawa back first into it, then wrapped it around his face and forced him to surrender.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Bloody Takai defeated Genghis Rahn and Taka Hoshizawa in 10:23 when Bloody Takai defeated Taka Hoshizawa by submission.</em></p><p> <img alt="M4SOg7D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M4SOg7D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Iron Maiden match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="LQsTUfN.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LQsTUfN.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Ryu Kajahara vs Henry Lee</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> I’d purchased an actual coffin for this match, which I then proceeded to strip of its inner padding before hammering all the nails I could around it. It looked crude and deadly, just the right kind of tone I was trying to get across. Henry came out wearing a DAVE shirt and acting all disrespectful towards the BBW fans, establishing himself as the gaijin heel for this one. We had a great match, most of which I do not remember, but I do remember at one point I grabbed a handful of thumbtacks and shoved them into his mouth as I locked in the Kajahara Claw. I guess he swallowed some and maybe a couple ended up in his lungs too, because by the end of the bout he was really slowing down and gasping for air. As soon as it seemed that it slowed down the match to an unbearable pace, I made the secret sign and I, Butcher ran down to the ring wearing an XFW shirt.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="v3byjPK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v3byjPK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> The few fans who knew about those two and Lee’s defection to DAVE probably popped too, but I was too much of a bloody mess to realize by that point. Long story short, Butcher ripped Lee’s shirt and threw him bare-chested into the coffin for the big finish. I won, Henry lost in somewhat convincing manner and I could justify his absence from the Blood Bowl, unless some fan also somehow managed to watch DAVE’s show on the same night to see him there.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Ryu Kajahara defeated Henry Lee in 13:57 after interference from I, Butcher.</em></p><p> <img alt="rCrbMWQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rCrbMWQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="v3byjPK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v3byjPK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="LQsTUfN.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LQsTUfN.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> I’d heard of Butcher’s unusual promos, but since he only spoke English at the time, I denied him a live mic. Instead, once the match was over, I had him bash the iron maiden around until it was broken to pieces, then he picked up those pieces, nails still on them, to beat up Henry Lee. It was glorious.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="87E3trK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/87E3trK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:14px;">Show rating:</span></span></strong></p><p> <img alt="87E3trK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/87E3trK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tOfOq8h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tOfOq8h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> After the show, I did praise Larry Wood for killing it in what otherwise would have been a stinker match. Ogiwara was looking a bit down, so I told him to keep doing his thing and fans will shut up one day. As for Big Trouble… I really couldn’t praise his performance or point him out as any sort of role model for the boys in the back, so I simply told him to keep working on his in-ring stuff and drop the backstage crap. They all seemed to take my words nicely. They’d better.</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> I then turned to Lamprecht and told him whatever was left of his pay after the parking lot incident, I was keeping as punishment for him working drunk. Instead of an answer, he tried to attack me. It was a sad sight, a 46 year old man, tired, beaten and drunk trying to start a fight. I simply slapped on the Kajahara Claw, a hold legitimately way more painful than people give it credit for. Guess that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, because the next thing I knew, he was emptying the contents of his stomach all over me. Gross man, get a grip.</p></div></blockquote>
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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>BBW presents:</strong></p><p><strong>

</strong><img alt="k5pIFby.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k5pIFby.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">The Blood Bowl 1997</span></strong></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><em>A one night tournament supershow!</em></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Main Event</strong></p><p><strong>

The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Final</strong></p><p><strong>

Light Tubes match</strong></p><p>

Ruy Kajahara/Billy Wood/Genghis Rahn/Taka Hoshizawa</p><p>

vs</p><p>

Natsuhisa Tamura/Larry Wood/Big Trouble/Bloody Takai</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Semi Final</strong></p><p><strong>

Weapons match</strong></p><p>

Natsuhisa Tamura/Larry Wood vs Big Trouble/Bloody Takai</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Semi Final</strong></p><p><strong>

Weapons match</strong></p><p>

Ruy Kajahara/Billy Wood vs Genghis Rahn/Taka Hoshizawa</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Quarter Final</strong></p><p>

Big Trouble vs Bloody Takai</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Quarter Final</strong></p><p>

Natsuhisa Tamura vs Larry Wood</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Quarter Final</strong></p><p>

Ruy Kajahara vs Billy Wood</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Tournament Quarter Final</strong></p><p>

Genghis Rahn vs Taka Hoshizawa</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Tag Team match</strong></p><p>

Mamoru Nagahama & Matsudara Morioka vs Biff the Bruiser & Henry Bennett</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Tag Team match</strong></p><p>

Nukenin & The Silence vs Nobuhito Ogiwara & Koichi Kajiwara</p></div><p></p><p></p>

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<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="olde_gregge" data-cite="olde_gregge" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You might diss Riki Toda, but I've watched the AI make him the BHOTWG Junior Champion even when they had some of the greatest Juniors in the game.</div></blockquote><p> That's not me, that's Ruy Kajahara talking. It's an in character diary through and through. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>
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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="2AQvL6T.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2AQvL6T.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> <strong><span style="font-size:14px;">The Blood Bowl 1997</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Ah, the ‘97 Blood Bowl. What a show that was. Somehow I was even spared the more serious backstage incidents too, which was a good sign. I mean, sure, Hide Kozu turned up late, but I didn’t really bother to punish an announcer for that when we didn’t have an actual broadcast deal. Same with Oniji Hanari, who never showed up for our meeting, as I was also doubling as road agent for most of the matches; I scolded him a bit, but nothing serious, since he wasn’t booked to be on the show at all.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="k5pIFby.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k5pIFby.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> Natsuhisa Tamura and myself opened the show by bringing out the Blood Bowl cup to showcase the night’s prize. I also took the opportunity to get on the mic and address the absence of Lamprecht the Lunatic, Henry Lee and Big Trouble’s manager, Mr. Miwa, saying this was my chance to win the cup and challenge Tamura for the BBW World Warrior title.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> Before he could respond (and mostly because he was crap on the mic) we were interrupted by Munenori Umari and the Wood Brothers. Umari let everyone know both Billy and Larry would be competing tonight, which meant he had double the chances of ending up with the trophy, but as great as we both were improvising on the mic, fans were there for blood so the Wood Brothers stormed the ring and began a brawl with Tamura and myself to really fire up the audience before the first match.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="IqChfad.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IqChfad.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="rmysBZU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rmysBZU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="4bkZcub.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4bkZcub.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tOfOq8h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tOfOq8h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="RvCSj5i.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RvCSj5i.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Nukenin & The Silence vs Nobuhito Ogiwara & Koichi Kajiwara</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Now the Blood Bowl presented me with a unique challenge: Many folks,myself included, would be wrestling more than one match on the same night, which meant exhaustion on top of injury risk. I had to keep the matches short, but our roster wasn’t deep enough or skilled enough to fill the time gap, so I pulled a little trick to make up for it: I gave everyone, even the crappiest jobber, a grand entrance. It was a nice distraction, but also a chance to see who fans would pop for and who was going to fall flat. Nukenin and the Silence were out first and while the fan’s didn’t really care, once they saw them work together in the ring, things changed. They were so on it, they looked like they’d been teaming up for ages. That’s where their high flying, risk taking team began. Ogiwara and Kajiwara played the brutes to their opponent’s daredevil underdog team… and failed. Miserably. I knew all four were rookies, so I overbooked the hell out of that match to distract from that fact and while it probably helped hide their shortcomings, there was no way around Ogiwara’s incompetence or Kajiwara’s sloppiness and stamina deficit. At least it felt like I’d made the right call having Nukenin roll up Kajiwara. When that decision was made, I thought it was a little hard to sell, but seeing Nukenin and The Silence at work against the nightmare that was their opponents, it made absolute sense and I could pretend like that was my plan all along.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Nukenin & The Silence defeated Nobuhito Ogiwara & Koichi Kajiwara by pinfall after Nukenin rolled up Koichi Kajiwara</em></p><p> <img alt="0l8tY8y.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0l8tY8y.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="Kdw9J9O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Kdw9J9O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bwZiCVM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bwZiCVM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vWU94Rh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vWU94Rh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pYSF9FL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pYSF9FL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Mamoru Nagahama & Matsudara Morioka vs Biff the Bruiser & Henry Bennett</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Naga-Mori had something about them, you could tell the moment they stepped out of that curtain. They were not our usual psychopaths, but they had a ruggedness that made them feel legit. Nagahama was the perfect oldschool traditionalist to Morioka’s raging bull antics and they were blessed by their opponents showcasing great chemistry between them, all of which elevated their bout. It was the closest thing we would do to a classic “Japanese puroresu guys versus burly gaijin bruisers” at the time. That was also the first time fans got to see the dreaded Nagahama Guillotine in action as it caused Bennett to submit. It wasn’t going to be the last time, as that scene would replay between them even into the early days of Warrior Engine XXV.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Mamoru Nagahama and Matsudaira Morioka defeated Biff The Bruiser and Henry Bennett in 5:57 when Mamoru Nagahama defeated Henry Bennett by submission with a Nagahama Guillotine.</em></p><p> <img alt="0l8tY8y.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0l8tY8y.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Quarterfinal match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="k8tfSV4.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k8tfSV4.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hem3Gdz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hem3Gdz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Genghis Rahn vs Taka Hoshizawa</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Taka was never a big deal, but I needed to fill in those last tournament spots and I was running out of non-young lion workers. To my surprise, he really stepped up to the occasion here. Not that he had much to do besides bump around for Rahn, but they did work a breakneck pace for this stunt show and Taka even agreed to get slammed onto a ladder for that extra oomph, so kudos to the man for helping put Rahn over as a badass.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Genghis Rahn defeated Taka Hoshizawa in 5:43 by pinfall with a Rahn To The Hills.</em></p><p> <img alt="7nXiDsK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7nXiDsK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Quarterfinal match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><strong>w</strong><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Ruy Kajahara vs Billy Wood (with Munenori Umari)</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Not to toot my own horn, but this was the first watchable match in the show up to that point. I was the ascending ace going up against the foreign wild man and with Billy being the lesser worker of his team, I had to carry his butt through the match, from my offensive spots to bumping for him and make him look dangerous. To his credit, the kid played ball and even agreed to the finish of me wrapping barbed wire around my fist before applying the Kajahara Claw on him. Great stuff.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Ryu Kajahara defeated Billy Wood in 5:41 by submission with a Kajahara Claw.</em></p><p> <img alt="rCrbMWQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rCrbMWQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Quarterfinal match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><strong>w</strong><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Natsuhisa Tamura vs Larry Wood (with Munenori Umari)</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Pretty much a mirror match to my earlier one, only with Tamura being the BBW World Warrior title holder, he also got the better worker of the Wood Brothers in Larry. Surprisingly clean too, given who was involved, but I didn’t want them to go too over the top and outshine the rest of the matches. I’d have to build up Larry first and get him over with the fans before I could really set him loose to do his thing. For now, he looked badass and took the loss, which was all I needed him to do.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Natsuhisa Tamura defeated Larry Wood in 5:35 by pinfall with a Car Crash Dive.</em></p><p> <img alt="rCrbMWQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rCrbMWQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Quarterfinal match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Q9cEzdh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Q9cEzdh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Big Trouble vs Bloody Takai</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Now we’re getting somewhere… two popular guys slugging it out in a longer match and Takai dropping all pretense of a legitimate fighter to go fully wild. Fans loved that character shift, though I bet Trouble wasn’t equally glad to eat those stiff shots from Takai. I’m not sure if fans were bored watching a longer match or if the lack of crazy spots brought it down, what I do know is it should have been better than mine or Tamura’s earlier and it wasn’t.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Big Trouble defeated Bloody Takai in 10:01 by pinfall with a Trouble Powerslam.</em></p><p> <img alt="ozLd3Bm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ozLd3Bm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Semifinal Weapons match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="k8tfSV4.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k8tfSV4.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Ruy Kajahara vs Genghis Rahn</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> You know what, this match has its historic value and while it won’t make it into any of my or Rahn’s career highlights, I’m proud of how we still managed to make it work despite Rahn being a bit off and our styles not really meshing well together. Now into the semifinals, the matches had the added element of weapons strewn around the ring before the bell would ring, so we made the best of that stipulation to set up some bloody spots and stretch our selling/recovery times. Not that they were all intentional, a lot of that stuff really hurt and we had both already worked another match before, so I could sell fans on the idea of Rahn tapping out to my Kajahara Claw even if it didn’t involve thumbtacks or barb wire this time.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Ryu Kajahara defeated Genghis Rahn in a Weapons match in 9:32 by submission with a Kajahara Claw.</em></p><p> <img alt="rCrbMWQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rCrbMWQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Semifinal Weapons match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Big Trouble vs Natsuhisa Tamura</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Trouble and Tamura had less of that crap to deal with, so they were able to focus on their match and make the best out of it. Given their place on the roster, this match could have headlined any of our shows, probably with the BBW World Warrior title on the line and that was exactly what I was trying to set up here. Trouble was an absolute beast, he took everything Tamura threw at him and got the win with a huge Trouble Powerslam, thus earning the right to request a title match against him while looking like a credible challenger; he’d beat him once, he could do it again.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>Big Trouble defeated Natsuhisa Tamura in a Weapons match in 10:15 by pinfall with a Trouble Powerslam.</em></p><p> <img alt="rCrbMWQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rCrbMWQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <strong>The Blood Bowl 1997 Final Light Tubes match</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Big Trouble vs Ryu Kajahara</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> And this is what it all came down to in the end. The company-made madman and ace on the rise Ryu Kajahara going one on one with the gaijin bruiser that had just defeated the reigning BBW World Warrior title holder. The story had been built and the big fight atmosphere was there, while we both came out bloodied and bandaged from our previous matches to really sell this as a titanic struggle against not only each other, but our own minds and bodies. Trouble was spent by that point so I let him throw me around for a bit and catch his breath while I was rolling around in pain. We couldn’t pull that con forever though, so we had to fast forward to the spot where he gave me the Trouble Powerslam through a table with light tubes taped across its surface. If you think that sounds like it hurt, imagine lying on top of shattered glass right after, dust getting in your nose and mouth as you try to breathe, with a huge man throwing his weight on top of you for the cover AND you have to kick out before three. But I did it and you should have heard the fans pop for that. Trouble really sold the exhaustion and frustration, most of which was legitimate, if we’re being honest, then I made my comeback and gave him an unprotected shot to the head with a bunch of tubes I was swinging around like a baseball bat. He dropped down like he was dead, I grabbed a handful of shattered glass and slapped on the Kajahara Claw. Game, set and match, Kajahara.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><em>In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Ryu Kajahara defeated Big Trouble in a Light Tube match in 13:50 by submission with a Kajahara Claw. Ryu Kajahara wins the The Blood Bowl title.</em></p><p> <img alt="mwL0z0W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mwL0z0W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> <img alt="k5pIFby.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k5pIFby.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> I had won the 1997 Blood Bowl, the first in my career and a big step towards establishing myself as the new ace of BBW. I celebrated, bloodied and exhausted as I was, then cut my mandatory victory promo to send fans home happy. If I had a script or even bullet points of what I wanted to say, I had forgotten them by that point from all the slaughter. It was a mess, it didn’t make sense, the pacing was horrible and yet, fans ate it up. I could be making fart noises on the mic for all they cared, I was their chosen champion who had just gone through hell to make it.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sma3Die.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sma3Die.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:14px;">Show Rating:</span></span></strong></p><p> <img alt="mwL0z0W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mwL0z0W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> After the show, I told Tamura he’s an awesome man for doing what he did out there that night and did it well. Big Trouble also got some praise, though not as exciteful, since he buckled by the time we had out final match, but at age 40 to have three matches like that in a single night was a feat unto its own. He’d put me over, he’d been given a victory over Tamura and was going to headline a future show in a title match against him, so I wanted his spirits to be high. Last but certainly not least, I told Larry Wood to keep doing his thing, hinting that he may even be getting a singles push if that gap between him and Billy kept growing.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="LQsTUfN.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LQsTUfN.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="NOx29hm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NOx29hm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> Following the Blood Bowl that year, Henry Lee decided to focus on his DAVE career, while Billy Wood left citing personal reasons. If you ask me, he was pissed I was realizing Larry was way better and should be getting a singles push, but whatever. Tamura thought Billy was too old to be worth the money by that point and he was probably right.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pM7r1m5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pM7r1m5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="8ywNopB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8ywNopB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> We had Lamprecht back, SHIRO recovered and I brought in a guy by the name of UK Dragon to boost our motley crew of high flying daredevils. It did help that Steve, who was the man under the mask, was a great character backstage and I was in dire need of something to elevate morale.</p></div></blockquote>
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BBW presents:

2AQvL6T.jpg

True Survivors

 

Main Event

Lamprecht the Lunatic vs Nobuhito Ogiwara

 

BBW Dynasty Warriors title match

First team to have a member bleed loses

Matsubara & Onodera © vs Madman Boone & Genghis Rahn

 

Hardcore Triple Threat Tag Team match

Natsuhisa Tamura & Kaneie Ichihara

vs

Ruy Kajahara & Oniji Hanari

vs

I, Butcher & Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)

 

Handicap 2 vs 1 match

Bloody Takai & Taka Hoshizawa vs Larry Wood (with Munenori Umari)

 

No DQ Tag Team match

Nuclear Assassins (Nukenin & The Silence) vs UK Dragon & Shiro

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Iron Maiden match is basically a casket match, but with added Japanese deathmatch insanity. I should really go for that FMW "all the stipulations at once"

 

I've played as far as December 97 on a touring schedule with 2 shows per month. At this size and with this product, weekly touring shows would be suicidal. Ran into a bit of a roadblock near the end of the year, but hopefully posting this will help me pick the save back up. The plan is to stick with touring and make it to the date that WEXXV was founded, which iirc is around 2003 or 2004.

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BBW presents:

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True Survivors

The distinctive smell of marijuana hit my nostrils well before I stepped into the little room in Iwata Hall we had converted into our locker room. I followed the glow and behind clouds of smoke, it was I, Butcher hitting the bong.

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He said it was little meditation ritual before matches and wound up as I was about it, he had actually purchased the weed via Dr. Beefcake so that kinda killed any argument I could make. Best thing I could come up with was to tell him I don’t mind his antics, as long as he does that stuff after the show, not right before. I told him he had no right to rob the fans of a good match and injure his opponent because he was on cloud nine, so just save it for the recovery phase. I’m not sure if my words really got across, because he looked like I’d just presented him with the toughest riddle ever. All I could hope was he’d solve it and have his little revelation moment before the show was underway.

 

The whole incident was my chance to act as the locker room leader, since we didn’t have any veteran backstage who was respected enough to do that kind of stuff. I called everyone in and told them to speak up or shut up.

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Matsubara and Onodera mumbled something about their characters not getting over with the fans. After respectfully hearing them out, I told them to shut the f**k up and worry about putting good enough matches to not make me regret putting the tag titles on them.

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Lamprecht was next, crying about how he worked without pay at The First Offering and then missed the Blood Bowl with an injury so now he was broke. Boo f**king hoo, idiot. Should have paid a compensation to Butcher and stayed away from the bottle till after the show. You made your own bed so you got to sleep in it.

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The opening of the show pretty much wrote itself. I came out to brag about winning the Blood Bowl. Mr. Miwa crashed my party and pointed out that his client, Big Trouble, pinned the champion during the tournament so the biggest story coming out of that show is him challenging for the BBW World Warrior title. Natsuhisa Tamura ran out with a baseball bat wrapped in barb wire to destroy all of us. Profit.

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No DQ match

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Nuclear Assassins vs UK Dragon & Shiro

I gave Nukenin and The Silence a proper tag team name that was kind of a mashup of their respective names so they would come across as an actual, regular team. This was their return to tag team action, against the debuting UK Dragon and the returning SHIRO. It seems SHIRO put some thought into his whole ninja gimmick while bedridden and whatever little tweaks he had made really went over with the crowd. The match was exactly what you’d expect from these four, a high flying spotfest and although UK Dragon was the only one in that ring who wasn’t a young lion, Nukenin’s performance was the one that actually stood out. Dragon did of course get the pin, but he used the ropes to do so and established himself as a credible threat while SHIRO looked strong upon return from injury.

UK Dragon and SHIRO defeated Nuclear Assassins in 10:10 when UK Dragon defeated The Silence by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage.

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Handicap match

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Bloody Takai & Taka Hoshizawa vs Larry Wood (with Munenori Umari)

So with Billy gone, Larry got this match against Takai and Hoshizawa to establish him as the next big monster gaijin heel to eventually take Big Trouble’s spot. I didn’t mind sacrificing any of these two, since Takai will eventually be gone once his contract runs out and Hoshizawa, well, is Hoshizawa. Bloody Takai did a great job of keeping this one together, which in turn justified why he wasn’t the one to take the pin in the end.

Larry Wood defeated Bloody Takai and Taka Hoshizawa in 9:44 when Larry Wood defeated Taka Hoshizawa by pinfall with a Running Big Foot.

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Triple Threat Harcore Tag Team match

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Natsuhisa Tamura & Kaneie Ichihara vs Ruy Kajahara & Oniji Hanari vs I, Butcher & Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)

Remember the show’s opening? This is what it built towards. We each teamed with a young lion because a singles three way would kill everyone’s momentum at this point and it made no sense without the title on the line. Trouble teamed with Butcher as the foreigner team and though originally I wanted to put Larry Wood in that spot, I decided not to destroy his whole Wood Brothers thing already with another partner. Tamura teamed with Ichihara and I have no idea why, perhaps he wanted to try the new kid out or maybe he wanted the mention of Ichihara next to his name as the star of the show. I made the dumb decision to go with Oniji Hanari, hoping his gimmick and my part could carrry him through the match. It was a disaster. If you thought fans hated Nobuhito Ogiwara, you should have heard them crap all over Hanari. To make matters worse, our timing was all over the place and it almost killed all the momentum I’d built up with the Blood Bowl victory, then on top of that Ichihara botched a spot and injured my spleen. Ugh!

Big Trouble and I, Butcher defeated Natsuhisa Tamura and Kaneie Ichihara and Ryu Kajahara and Oniji Hanari in 10:02; the order of elimination was Ryu Kajahara and Oniji Hanari first, and then Natsuhisa Tamura and Kaneie Ichihara.

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While I was screaming and cursing in pain and anger, Mr. Miwa tried to cover my noise by cutting a promo to hype up Big Trouble and promise that he would destroy Natsuhisa Tamura one on one and rip that title belt from his cold dead hands.

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BBW Dynasty Warriors First Blood match

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Matsubara & Onodera vs Madman Boone & Genghis Rahn

With the champions being too scared to work a hardcore match, I thought I’d poke some fun at their issue and book them in a First Blood match. Boone and Rahn were great challengers for that sort of stipulation and given their regular teaming in XFW, they had some decent experience in tag team bouts so I went all the way and presented them as an invading XFW team challenging for the BBW titles. Then I had to make the finish of Matsubara beating Boone believable, but that was easy given the gimmick: Boone suffered a minor cut above his eyebrow and instead of carrying on, he went berserk and beat himself up until he was busted open for good. Fun times.

Matsubara & Onodera defeated Madman Boone & Genghis Rahn in a First Blood match in 11:18 when Asato Matsubara made Madman Boone bleed. Matsubara & Onodera make defence number 1 of their BBW Dynasty Warriors titles.

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Next up was a little hype video to promote the fact that Lamprecht the Lunatic had returned from injury and he would be up in action at the night’s main event. Action! Excitement! A senile man trying to not make a fool of himself! Or maybe not trying at all! And it’s up…. Nnnnnext!

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Lamprecht the Lunatic vs Nobuhito Ogiwara

In hindsight, I probably should have made this the semi main event and put my tag match on top of the card. Lamprecht was an old drunk, Ogiwara was a rookie fans hated, so I told them to go all out in this dumpster fire of a match and kept it just short of six minutes, hoping for the best. Lamprecht climbed to the Iwata Hall balcony and dove, or more likely stumbled, down into nothingness for an insane spot. Ogiwara charged for a spear and ended up into an electrified barb wire board. It was the best I could ask for, get out there, make it intense, make it quick, don’t get winded or injured, get the hell out before they realize what happened.

Lamprecht The Lunatic defeated Nobuhito Ogiwara in 5:45 by submission with a Lamprecht Stranglehold.

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Show Rating:

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Predictably, most of my backstage “speech” was an angry rant at Oniji Hanari. I put speech in quotes because it was mostly a mix of insults and groans of pain, we almost got into a fight and it took the entire locker room to pull us apart before Tamura told the kid to get the hell out of the Hall.

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I’m told once I calmed down I told Nukenin to keep it up and Ogiwara to push through the fans’ chants, but I imagine in the state I was in, it must have sounded more like a threat than an encouragement. Somehow Ichihara escaped my wrath despite being the one responsible for my injury, but I would get my vengeance soon enough.

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BBW presents:

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The Fight Continues

 

Main Event

Light Tube match for the BBW World Warrior title

Natsuhisa Tamura © vs Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)

 

Six Man Hardcore Havoc

Lamprecht The Lunatic, Taka Hoshizawa & SHIRO vs Nobuhito Ogiwara, Bloody Takai and Koichi Kajiwara

 

Three Way Hardcore Tag Team Elimination match

Double Trouble (Biff the Bruiser and Henry Benett) vs Naga-Mori vs Nuclear Assassins

 

Opening contest

Iron Maiden match

Ruy Kajahara vs Kaneie Ichihara

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You had me at “The distinctive smell of marijuana hit my nostrils.” :D

 

I love how you sound surprised at how bad Hanari was. Don’t shout at him though, he honestly doesn’t know any better. And never will.

 

Please don’t fire him.

 

 

Main Event

Light Tube match for the BBW World Warrior title

Natsuhisa Tamura © vs Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)

Too soon for a title change?

 

Six Man Hardcore Havoc

Lamprecht The Lunatic, Taka Hoshizawa & SHIRO vs Nobuhito Ogiwara, Bloody Takai and Koichi Kajiwara

Takai's on his way out is my reasoning.

 

Three Way Hardcore Tag Team Elimination match

Double Trouble (Biff the Bruiser and Henry Benett) vs Naga-Mori vs Nuclear Assassins

Gonna go with these lads. The trouble to name the team...

 

Opening contest

Iron Maiden match

Ruy Kajahara vs Kaneie Ichihara

A guess.

 

Bonus question: if you had an Iron Maiden song to promote your Iron Maiden match, like say in a video package promo... what would it be?

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BBW presents:

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The Fight Continues

 

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I’m willing to guess my angry post-show “speech” at True Survivors got me over with the locker room as a boss not to be messed with, because somehow I had no incidents to deal with before the start of The Fight Continues, thus I was able to kick back and enjoy the show from the beginning as Mr. Miwa came out to cut another promo about how his client, Big Trouble, would defeat Tamura to become the new BBW World Warrior champion. Not bad for a start, Miwa even brought up how his man wrestles in Japan, U.S. and Canada to claim that he is a true World Warrior, that was a touch of realness I really liked in his stuff.

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Iron Maiden match

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Ruy Kajahara vs Kaneie Ichihara

Remember when I said I’d take my revenge for Ichihara injuring me soon enough? Well this match was just that, me beating the living hell out of him for 8 minutes straight before throwing him in the nailed coffin, including a so-ridiculous-it’s-awesome spot of a DDT into a discarded toilet seat I hit him with. The visual of him going in head first... I guess the message was pretty straightforward: get your sh*t together, kid.

Ryu Kajahara defeated Kaneie Ichihara in 8:25

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Of course, I had to remind people that I’m a big deal in BBW, not just another guy bullying young lions around. I’d won the damn Blood Bowl! So I grabbed a live mic and cut a great promo to mention my tournament victory and how I had my sights set on the night’s main event: no matter who would win, I was going to come for them and the BBW World Warrior title!

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Triple Threat Hardcore Tag Team match

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Double Trouble vs Naga-Mori vs Nuclear Assassins

By that point, I’d put together a bunch of tag teams I wanted to showcase, plus the champions would eventually need a team to challenge them so I’d have to build one up for the task. I really had no idea what to expect from this match, other than Naga-Mori winning it. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. Gave me and the fans an idea of where each team stood at and what we could expect from them.

Naga-Mori defeated Double Trouble and Nuclear Assassins in 10:33; the order of elimination was Double Trouble first, and then Nuclear Assassins.

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Hardcore Six Man match

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Lamprecht The Lunatic, Taka Hoshizawa & SHIRO vs Nobuhito Ogiwara, Bloody Takai and Koichi Kajiwara

This was… a thing. That happened. It was an absolute mess, but at least the chaos was enough to distract from the youngsters’ inexperience in and around the ring. Somehow Lamprecht didn’t kill himself or anyone else, and I’m including that spot where he wrapped his entire body in barbed wire and dove out to all other five men brawling at ringside. Blood and Barbed Wire, everyone!

Lamprecht The Lunatic, Taka Hoshizawa and SHIRO defeated Nobuhito Ogiwara, Bloody Takai and Koichi Kajiwara in 9:57 when Taka Hoshizawa defeated Koichi Kajiwara by pinfall with a roll up.

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Light Tube match for the BBW World Warrior title

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Natsuhisa Tamura © vs Big Trouble (with Mr. Miwa)

Probably shouldn’t have booked two crazy matches back to back, fans were burned out and it took away some of the main event’s excitement. Plus both Tamura and Trouble are way too old to be working at such a pace for over eleven minutes. Still, fans were hot for this showdown and Tamura looked like a proper badass for pushing through, despite getting hit with a Trouble Powerslam onto some light tubes and apparently injuring his arm. Trouble kicked out of Tamura’s finisher, which is something you don’t see that often so he looked strong too, the gravity of the situation forcing Tamura to go for the Super Murder Bomb onto a stack of tubes set up against a ring corner. It was spectacular, it made the crowd pop hard and it was a great finish to the match, marking Tamura’s first title defense.

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Natsuhisa Tamura defeated Big Trouble in a Light Tube match in 11:22 by pinfall with a Super Murder Bomb. Natsuhisa Tamura makes defence number 1 of his BBW World Warrior title.

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But alas, the bloodied Tamura had little time to celebrate because true to my words earlier that night, I rushed the ring and laid into him with whatever undamaged light tubes I could find, before piledriving him head first onto the title belt.

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Show Rating:

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I made sure both Tamura and Trouble, as well as the entire locker room knew after the show was over that I thought they’re both amazing for putting on such a match and going through everything in it. Despite my gut instinct, I had to also congratulate Lamprecht for his performance in holding that mess of a match together.

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I don’t know if it was the emotion that hit him by surprise, but his own guts could no longer be held together by that point. He was drunk again. I called for a bucket of water and emptied it onto his head, which seemed to bring him back to earth for a while. With Lamprecht now able to communicate, I made a show of counting his pay, then slicing it to hold back his fine. I wasn’t happy to act that way, especially since he nodded and promised to do better. The man had an addiction problem, he knew it and anyone around could tell, especially Taka and SHIRO who were furious at his recklessness. What he needed was support, not punishment, but for that he’d also need a psychiatrist, not a psychopath.

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<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>BBW presents:</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="2AQvL6T.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2AQvL6T.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> </strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">Bloodbath</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I was expecting to find Lamprecht vomiting his guts out again or something, so you can imagine my shock when I found him sober and presiding over the assembled wrestlers’ court instead of Tamura who would usually fill that role! Referee Isao Takemura was being punished for some minor transgression and everyone split amicably. Alas, my joy was not meant to last.<p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tOfOq8h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tOfOq8h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> I was summoned outside, where Nobuhito Ogiwara was coughing out loud with a blunt in his hand. No wonder the bastard was getting fatter and fatter. I don’t know how high he was by the time I got to him, but he was still good enough to not see me as a three headed monkey or something and immediately started saying something about how he purchased the stuff from our good doctor. I mean, even if that wasn’t the case, I couldn’t say much with Dr. Beefcake backstage supplying the locker room with all sorts of goodies. Trying not to sound as defeated as I was, I read him the riot act, he flipped me off and I left, hoping he’d be back on earth by the time his match was up</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="hem3Gdz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hem3Gdz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="t8lAELw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/t8lAELw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="JY8wG3m.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JY8wG3m.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="0XnW6vx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0XnW6vx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> Taka Hoshizawa and Kaneie Ichihara defeated The Peak Brothers</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> I’d heard of the Peak Brothers, who had built up a reputation with XFW, so I brought them in to represent that promotion and show Japanese fans what they were all about. They fit in BBW like a glove and the opening match had fans alive, though I couldn’t say the same about the wrestlers by the time it was over. Doug got a lot of static from the unimpressed fans, which threw him into a frenzy as he tried to win them over. Guess he got a little carried away and ended up injuring Ichihara. To make matters worse, Hoshizawa botched a move and hurt Doug’s arm, which in turn held him back and fired Eddie up. I’d heard stories of how those two got a little wild with receipts in a match where Big Smack Scott took a few too many liberties, so we had to rush the finish and Taka, being the only one who’d paid enough dues to convincingly be the winner, got the pin over Eddie.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="bnY1FzQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bnY1FzQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vWU94Rh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vWU94Rh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="v3byjPK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/v3byjPK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="RvCSj5i.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RvCSj5i.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <img alt="8ywNopB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8ywNopB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pM7r1m5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pM7r1m5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rmysBZU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rmysBZU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="4bkZcub.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4bkZcub.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Lamprecht The Lunatic, Biff The Bruiser, I, Butcher and Koichi Kajiwara vs UK Dragon, SHIRO and Nuclear Assassins</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Biff’s usual teammate Henry Bennett was off working a show in the States, so I threw him in with the rest of the wild brawlers against our four high flyers. The bout was booked to the gills with risky spots and death defying dives in hopes of wowing fans enough to detract from everyone’s lack of actual wrestling skill, as well as Lamprecht’s usual intoxication. The win had to go to the high flyers to make them look a bit credible so by the time this was mercifully over, The Silence hit his Silence Falls finisher on Kajiwara and got the pin.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="7nXiDsK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7nXiDsK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="Q9cEzdh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Q9cEzdh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Kdw9J9O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Kdw9J9O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bwZiCVM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bwZiCVM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tOfOq8h.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tOfOq8h.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="39CYfNx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/39CYfNx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CApKygs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CApKygs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Bloody Takai & Naga-Mori vs Nobuhito Ogiwara and Matsubara & Onodera</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> With Ogiwara’s pre-show behaviour, I stuck him in a multi man match to hide his incompetence and let him take the pin, hoping he’d get the message. Seeing Naga-Mori having a bad night really threw a wrench in my plans of how I was hoping to portray them, but Nagahama still locked in his Guillotine to tap Ogiwara out so it’s happening, slowly but surely.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="M4SOg7D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M4SOg7D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="cyJne4q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cyJne4q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> So Big Trouble and Larry Wood would be teaming up for the following contest as a monster heel gaijin duo, but their managers Mr. Miwa and Munenori Umari had some issues over sharing the ringside area. I gave them some time on the mic to get some heat and hint at the big team having its issues, nothing spectacular but Miwa and Umari still made it work thanks to their ability to cut a solid promo.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="87E3trK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/87E3trK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="ZCOwYsZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZCOwYsZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="k8tfSV4.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k8tfSV4.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BTSd9eF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BTSd9eF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><strong>w</strong><img alt="cyJne4q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cyJne4q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="z0QOMbn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/z0QOMbn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Madman Boone & Genghis Rahn vs Big Trouble and Larry Wood (with Mr. Miwa & Munenori Umari)</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Oh boy, what a dumpster fire of a match… Just look at who as involved and you’ll get the picture. Probably a dream match for hardcore fans of the 90s, hell, maybe hardcore fans today even. Ten minutes of absolute madness and a big win for Big Trouble over Boone, hopefully big enough to have him bounce back from his loss at the finals of the Blood Bowl.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ozLd3Bm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ozLd3Bm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Speaking of the Blood Bowl, I had a little video package put together to recap my Blood Bowl victory and hype up my main event title clash with Natsuhisa Tamura. A much needed breather for the fans and probably a bit of shameless self promotion, but an absolutely necessary step in my journey to becoming the ace of BBW.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><img alt="mwL0z0W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mwL0z0W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="JHyzQj6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JHyzQj6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the BBW World Warrior title</strong></p><p><strong> </strong><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25UZG0h.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25UZG0h.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><strong> Natsuhisa Tamura vs Ruy Kajahara</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> Fans were literally ready to start a riot by the time me and Tamura made our entrances and that’s about all I can remember from this match. I mean, I should be able to recall more because it was a big deal and by the end I’d won the strap for a second time, the only two-time champion up to that point too, but I was so high on adrenaline and the heat of the moment, it was all washed away on the spot. Guess the unprotected chair shots didn’t help, neither did falling off a ladder and through a table. Tamura didn’t remember much afterwards too, because he’d been piledrived head first onto a chair and superplexed onto a ladder, but from what everyone told us it was one hell of a match from bell to bell.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="IqChfad.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IqChfad.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="e8rzx2c.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/e8rzx2c.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> My coronation was a defining moment in becoming the ace of BBW and fans loved every bit of me roaring profanities onto the mic while bleeding all over the place. Guess making sense wasn’t a requirement as long as whatever I was talking about came from the heart. Eh, it’s not like they should expect an elaborate speech after such a bloodbath. What matters is that I got a reaction and they went home happy.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sma3Die.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sma3Die.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:14px;">Show Rating:</span></span></strong></p><p> <img alt="mwL0z0W.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mwL0z0W.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47280" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="1Y07Rni.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1Y07Rni.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ls2dk3O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ls2dk3O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ZCOwYsZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZCOwYsZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> I stumbled my way backstage and fell into Tamura’s bloodied hands, whispering congratulations for what he did out there and thanking him for putting me over. The entire locker room was applauding us both and I made sure they knew that I think Big Trouble is an awesome fella too, for doing what he did at his age. Pretty sure I told Boone to keep it up too, but that might be my imagination.</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaJEGJI.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaJEGJI.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="8ywNopB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8ywNopB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pM7r1m5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pM7r1m5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="rmysBZU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rmysBZU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="4bkZcub.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4bkZcub.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="vWU94Rh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vWU94Rh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> The only one who hadn’t joined the celebration was Lamprecht, who had crumbled into a corner puking his guts out once again. All four of his opponents, as well as Biff the Bruiser had surrounded him, presumably to whip his ass but somehow pitying him once they saw his state. I told them to break it up and announced that Lamprecht would once again be getting less than his full pay for being an irresponsible old drunk. I’m telling you, that smile he gave me was the stuff of nightmares, framed as it was by his glassy eyes and puke-strewn beard. Nightmares.</p></div></blockquote>
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BBW presents:

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Enter the Asylum

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Ogiwara greeted me outside the Iwata Hall and offered me a hit of whatever he was smoking. I swear, it was as if he was mocking me. I told him to save it for after the show, he repeated my words in a high pitched voice, we told each other to f**k off and I moved on. This was becoming a regular occurrence it seemed. I’d have to do something eventually, but with my priorities straight, I moved on and called everyone up to go through the matches for the night. I was off to a hot start, until I reached the finish of the first match. That’s when I realized referee Isao Takemura was nowhere to be seen. Asking around, no one had seen him either. I could do with a wrestler no-showing, but our only referee? Damn it, Takemura…

 

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Admitting things were a mess, I gave up on my road agent work and told the boys to step forward if they had any complaints to make that I should take into consideration. SHIRO and The Silence were still mad about working with a wasted Lamprecht, apparently. Not that I didn’t know about Lamprecht, but I guess letting them vent would prevent me from having to deal with too many pissed off employees at once. Same goes for Matsubara and Onodera, who were still bitter about their characters not really getting over with the fans. Pft, maybe if you dropped the whole puroresu act and did some hardcore wrestling they’d cheer for you, dumbasses. Taka Hoshizawa made a little more sense when he said he was sorry he’d injured Doug Peak, but with the brothers back in the States, I assured him they’d be with us for the next tour so he’d have a chance to say sorry in person. Last but not least, Oniji Hanari apparently still wasn’t over about the crap I’d given him after True Survivors. I told him to suck it up and get good, which wasn’t the most diplomatic of answers, but it was damn true.

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With our ref still MIA, I had to fill in some time in hopes that he’d show up later, so I grabbed the BBW World Warrior title belt and hit the ring to brag about it, this time unbloodied and in a better state to talk. Natsuhisa Tamura interrupted me, but we’ll never find out if he meant to congratulate or challenge me to a re-match, because Mr. Miwa and Munenori Umari joined us, with Big Trouble and Larry Wood in tow. After some back and forth on the mic, we were joined by Bloody Takai, who apparently figured we needed help against the big gaijins, then Genghis Rahn made his entrance and, you guessed it, we agreed to a six man tag match for that night’s main event but not after Isao Takemura peeked out of the curtain to give me a thumbs up. That was a relief, we would be having matches after all.

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Kaneie Ichihara & Koichi Kajiwara vs Double Trouble

Biff and Bennett were available for the show, so they got the opening match against Ichihara and Kajiwara. Absolute mayhem ensued, wild enough to get the fans going and hide the shortcomings of Kajiwara especially. Biff hit a spinning fist that nearly punched a hole through a chair to hit Kajiwara’s face, Bennett put Ichihara through a table, Ichihara tried to choke Bennett between the ropes and Kajiwara tackled Biff back first onto the ring stairs, among others. It was kinda surprising to have that match end up suddenly with a quick roll up from Ichihara on Biff, but given the chaos all around, it also made some sense to happen out of nowhere.

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Naga-Mori vs Nuclear Assassins

I was pretty proud of both these teams I had put together and given how green all four men were at that point, this was a surprisingly watchable match. Naga-Mori brought the strong style intensity, the Assassins brought the high flying action and there was little to no blood or weapons, I mean, who books this stuff? Anyway, The Silence was making his last appearance for us as he’d be moving on to do some freelance work elsewhere, so I had him do the favours on his way out and put Nagahama’s guillotine over.

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Losing was one thing, writing The Silence off and breaking up the Nuclear Assassins was another. Nukenin turned on his partner after the match and beat him to a pulp, wrapping this up and going back into being a singles wrestler. Fans barely cared. Unspectacular, but necessary.

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Nobuhito Ogiwara vs I, Butcher vs Madman Boone

After the previous match, I really had to up the violence again just to remind fans they were still watching a BBW show. Ogiwara, Butcher and Boone were given the all clear to wreck the place and each other, which they did, though admittedly they could have done with a few pointers because their brawl seemed to be stalling at times. I loved the spot where Butcher took a cheese grater to the forehead of Boone, as well as when Boone went berserk with a staple gun on Ogiwara’s back. Not to be outdone, Ogiwara left the ring and returned moments later with a porcelain bathroom sink he smashed onto Boone’s head, before taking him down with a Roaring Elbow for the pin. No working sinks were harmed in the execution of this match, the one Ogiwara used had been replaced some hours before the show and we fished it out of the garbage for that spot, but fans never knew and I’m hoping it looked like he ripped it off the damn bathroom stall.

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Taka Hoshizawa and Matsubara & Onodera vs UK Dragon, Oniji Hanari & SHIRO

At Enter the Asylum, I’d booked a 4 bruisers versus 4 high flyers match. This time I kept Lamprecht in the dark for a quick post-show match and with Nuclear Assassins booked earlier, I made this match where the “classic wrestlers” that held our tag team straps joined Hoshizawa against two high flyers and one of the few men to suck harder at wrestling than Hoshizawa, Oniji Hanari. To no one’s surprise, the fans crapped on Hanari way harder than they do on Ogiwara even and it didn’t help that he was both angry at the backstage stuff and having a bad night out there. I guess I should be happy he didn’t botch bad enough to injure anyone, though I wouldn’t be sad if he’d somehow managed to injure himself. Guess I should have had him eat the pin too, but we’re stuck with him while UK Dragon was making his last tour appearance so I decided to have Taka pin the dragon and pick up whatever credibility as a competitor as he could. Which wasn’t much, really.

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Ryu Kajahara, Natsuhisa Tamura & Bloody Takai vs Big Trouble, Genghis Rahn & Larry Wood (with Mr. Miwa & Munenori Umari)

Ah, yes. The main event. Three Japanese hardcore company men defenders against three big bad loud gaijin bruisers. Can’t get more textbook than that, but the fans ate it up regardless. Miwa and Umari continued their little feud at ringside we went wild all around the Iwata Hall. I remember hitting Rahn’s back with a barb wire bat, as well as Trouble taking me out with a Trouble Powerslam through a table. The whiplash had me hit his meaty forearm and I was literally taken out; I couldn’t breathe, I blacked out and later on I was told I had fractured my larynx. Wood had a crazy moment when he wrapped Tamura’s neck with barb wire and tried to choke him out, before recklessly grabbing him for a chokeslam. Takai hit the stumbling Wood with a running big boot that sent him crashing through a sheet of glass that had been set up against a ring corner. Tamura threw a fireball right in Big Trouble’s face and Takai got his receipt when he got hit with a spinebuster onto the shattered glass that Wood had left behind. It was all a delightful bloodbath for almost fifteen minutes, until Tamura his his Super Murder Bomb on Rahn and kept him down for the pin.

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Show Rating:

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Once I had regained my senses backstage, courtesy of Dr. Beefcake’s “treatment”, I gathered our little crew of misfits for a brief post-show speech, wheezing as I was due to my damaged throat. Had to give Boone credit for working two matches in one night, one of which was a dark match squash by Lamprecht, who was rapidly becoming our number one guy no one wanted to get in the ring with. Nukenin got some praise too for his skill and I told him the way he’d gotten over with the fans, he’d be getting a proper singles push now that The Silence was leaving. Finally, I made sure to thank Asato Matsubara for booking the main event. Usually I was the one doing that job, with Takai or Trouble filling in when necessary. With all of us in that six man tag, I took a chance letting Matsubara do the road agent work, but he came through nicely and I told him I’m counting on him in the future, should I need some assistance putting matches together.

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Setting up the summer of ‘97 tours was a crazy time. Big Trouble had left to focus on his career overseas, so I reached out to the Peak Brothers for a tour deal with the bonus of having Mr. Miwa manage them, as I was hoping to really put them over as our resident team of psychopathic foreigners.

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The Silence had left, being a freelancer whose contract had ran up. Bloody Takai was more of the same, although he’d be doing one last date at the start of the new tour so I could write him off. Boone had been sidelined with a head injury. Lamprecht’s contract was also coming up soon and it was more than obvious he wasn’t going to get an extension, so this was going to be his farewell tour. At least he was getting one, unlike UK Dragon.

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I mean, he had impressed me enough to get a call for another tour, but as I was waiting for his response, I heard he had been toying with an antique hand grenade and accidentally shook loose the pin to blow himself up in the most stupid of manners at the young age of 21.

BBW presents: Summer Bloody Summer

Sunday, Week 2 June 1997 at the Iwata Hall, Tohoku

 

Main Event

Iron Maiden non title match

Ruy Kajahara vs Bloody Takai

 

Lamprecht the Lunatic’s farewell tour

Lamprecht the Lunatic vs Natshuhisa Tamura

 

Nobuhito Ogiwara vs Larry Wood (with Munenori Umari)

 

Acid vs Nukenin vs SHIRO

 

Kaneie Ichihara & Oniji Hanari vs The Peak Brothers (with Mr. Miwa)

BBW presents: Be Still My Bleeding Heart

Friday, Week 4 June 1997 at the Iwata Hall, Tohoku

 

Main Event

Lamprecht the Lunatic’s farewell tour

Lamprecht the Lunatic vs Larry Wood (with Munenori Umari)

 

Semi Main Event

BBW Dynasty Warriors titles match

Matsubara & Onodera © vs Naga-Mori

 

Double Trouble vs Genghis Rahn & I, Butcher

 

Acid vs SHIRO

 

Ruy Kajahra & Natsuhisa Tamura vs The Peak Brothers (with Mr. Miwa)

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