PGHW - The Other Beginning

[Willsky]

THE ELITE SERIES 2001 Part 2

Three wrestlers could boast a 100% record at this point of the Elite Series, a truly impressive feat. But that didn’t mean they were guaranteed  to qualify, because in both blocks plenty of contenders were right behind them, ready to leap up into the top two spots.

Block A Table

8 Dread
8 Eisaku Kunomasu
7 Mito Miwa
5 Nobuatsu Tatsuko
2 Fukusaburu Inao
2 Hito Ichihara
0 Dan Stone Jr
0 Walter Morgan
 

Block B Table

8 Pistol Pete Hall
6 Eisaku Hoshino
6 Sean McFly
5 Tommy Cornell
5 Yoshimi Mushashibo
2 Raymond Diaz
0 Kojiro Harada
0 Takeshi Umehara
 

PGHW Elite Series: DAY 5

Block A Results

Dan Stone Jr def. Fukusaburu Inao
Mito Miwa def. Hito Ichihara
Nobuatsu Tatsuko def. Walter Morgan
Dread and Eisaku Kunomasu drew

Dan Stone picked up his first victory of the tournament, beating Fukusaburu Inao, who was disappointed not to have added to his tally. Unfortunately, however, Dan Stone Jr also dislocated his elbow and was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Mito Miwa got a strong win over Hito Ichihara, while Nobuatsu Tatsuko kept his chances alive by defeating Walter Morgan.

The biggest result was between the two at the top. Instead of one of them losing their 100% record, they both did, sharing the points in a slightly disappointing time-limit draw.

Block A Table

9 Dread
9 Eisaku Kunomasu
9 Mito Miwa
7 Nobuatsu Tatsuko
2 Dan Stone Jr
2 Fukusaburu Inao
2 Hito Ichihara
0 Walter Morgan

 

Block B Results

Eisaku Hoshino def. Raymond Diaz
Yoshimi Mushashibo def. Kojiro Harada
Pistol Pete Hall def. Takeshi Umehara
Tommy Cornell def. Sean McFly

Hoshino got an expected victory over Raymond Diaz, while Kojiro’s miserable run continued at the hands of Yoshimi Mushashibo. Pistol Pete Hall became the only competitor to make it five wins from five, defeating Takeshi Umehara.

In the main event of the show, Tommy Cornell scored a huge victory over Sean McFly and put himself right in contention for qualification from the block (and likely earning himself a Historical Japan title shot in the near future).

Block B Table

10 Pistol Pete Hall
8 Eisaku Hoshino
7 Tommy Cornell
7 Yoshimi Mushashibo
6 Sean McFly
2 Raymond Diaz
0 Kojiro Harada
0 Takeshi Umehara

 

PGHW Elite Series: DAY 6

Block A Results

Fukusaburu Inao def. Hito Ichihara
Nobuatsu Tatsuko def. Eisaku Kunomasu
Walter Morgan def. Dan Stone Jr (by forfeit due to injury)
Mito Miwa def. Dread

A huge round in Block A saw Inao get one of the biggest wins of his career over the legendary Hito Ichihara. Walter Morgan picked up two points without having to wrestle as Dan Stone Jr had to withdraw from the tournament.

But the focus was all on the top four of the block in direct competition. Tatsuko overcame Kunomasu to haul himself up the leaderboard, while Mito Miwa strode out ahead with a colossal victory over Dread.

Block A Table

9 Dread
9 Eisaku Kunomasu
11 Mito Miwa
9 Nobuatsu Tatsuko
4 Fukusaburu Inao
2 Hito Ichihara
2 Walter Morgan
2 Dan Stone Jr

 

Block B Results

Yoshimi Mushashibo def. Raymond Diaz
Pistol Pete Hall def. Tommy Cornell
Kojiro Harada def. Takeshi Umehara
Eisaku Hoshino def. Sean McFly

Mushashibo continued his push for qualification with a solid win over Diaz. Pistol Pete Hall kept up his incredible form, fending off a very capable Tommy Cornell. And Kojiro Harada finally broke his duck, getting a win over Umehara, who was the final man to remain without points.

And in a fun match, Eisaku Hoshino scrapped his way to a win over Sean McFly, meaning the latter could no longer qualify from the block, while Hoshino had a great chance of finishing second and maybe even first if he could defeat Hall in the final round.

Block B Table

12 Pistol Pete Hall
10 Eisaku Hoshino
9 Yoshimi Mushashibo
7 Tommy Cornell
6 Sean McFly
2 Kojiro Harada
2 Raymond Diaz
0 Takeshi Umehara

 

PGHW Elite Series: DAY 7

Block A Results

Hito Ichihara def. Walter Morgan
Dread def. Fukusaburu Inao
Nobuatsu Tatsuko def. Dan Stone Jr (by forfeit due to injury)
Eisaku Kunomasu def. Mito Miwa

Hito Ichihara defeated Walter Morgan, who finished with two points despite having not won a match (his points came via forfeit). Dread needed to beat Inao to stand a chance of qualifying, and he did so, while Tatsuko benefitted from Dan Stone Jr’s injury to gain two more points.

The biggest match was, of course, Kunomasu vs. Miwa, in which only a victory from Kunomasu could see him qualify – that’s exactly what he achieved, using the Launching Knee Strike on the Glory Crown champion. The result meant four men finished on 11 points. As it now went down to head-t0-head records, Tatsuko ended up finishing top, with Kunomasu in second, meaning Miwa and Dread only missed out by a hair’s breadth.

Block A Table FINAL STANDINGS

11 Nobuatsu Tatsuko
11 Eisaku Kunomasu
11 Mito Miwa
11 Dread
4 Fukusaburu Inao
4 Hito Ichihara
2 Walter Morgan
2 Dan Stone Jr

Block B Results

Kojiro Harada def. Raymond Diaz
Tommy Cornell def. Takeshi Umehara
Pistol Pete Hall def. Eisaku Hoshino
Sean McFly def. Yoshimi Mushashibo

It was a dramatic final round in Block B, too. Harada regained another fragment of pride as he defeated Raymond Diaz, while Tommy Cornell made it a healthy finish by beating Umehara who earned the wooden spoon prize.

Pistol Pete Hall made it seven from seven and finished top of the Block when he defeated Eisaku Hoshino. That meant a win for Mushashibo would send him through to the semi final. He was despearate to beat Sean McFly and used his usual eyepoke. But this time he failed to disguise it enough – the referee saw it and disqualified him, meaning McFly got the victory and Hoshino stayed in second place!

Block B Table FINAL STANDINGS

14 Pistol Pete Hall
10 Eisaku Hoshino
9 Tommy Cornell
9 Yoshimi Mushashibo
8 Sean McFly
4 Kojiro Harada
2 Raymond Diaz
0 Takeshi Umehara

 

Block Stage Roundup

There was plenty of confusion about the results of Block A, with fans trying to get their heads around how the head-to-head record worked out with four competitors. In the end, they all had symmetrical records so it came down to match lengths, with the competitors who won their matches in the shortest times getting the advantage.

Sadaharu Jimbo had to come out to explain this after the show. He also stated that this had been built into the rules of the tournament, but he understood the frustration for Miwa and Dread. While there was no chance of re-formatting the tournament this year, he affirmed that he would consider a playoff round should this strange occurrence happen again.

Over in Block B, it was dominance for Pistol Pete Hall. He would face Eisaku Kunomasu in the semi-final. Not only did he finish top, but he added seven more names to his charge to defeat everyone in the company. Now he was on 15 – just over halfway through the roster and he had only been going three months!

After him, Hoshino advanced to a semi-final against Nobuatsu Tatsuko. He nearly missed out, though, and only qualified thanks to Mushashibo’s trickery finally catching up to him. Mushashibo did not look happy with the referee after the match, and after the show, Tommy Cornell approached him and demanded a tag title match for he and Morgan against Team Dynasty 2000 at Night of PRIDE. The match was made

[Willsky]

NIGHT OF PRIDE, 2001 Card

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 vs. Winner of semi final 2

[monrapi3]

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 (Tatsuko) vs. Winner of semi final 2 (Kunomasu)

[AboardTheArk]

NIGHT OF PRIDE, 2001 Card

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 vs. Winner of semi final 2

 

[SomeLazyMagic]

NIGHT OF PRIDE, 2001 Card

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 vs. Winner of semi final 2

[pentagon]

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 vs. Winner of semi final 2

[StanMiguel]

NIGHT OF PRIDE, 2001 Card

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso

Sean McFly ©

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © 

Elite Series FINAL: Nobuatsu Tatsuko

[Willsky]

NIGHT OF PRIDE, 2001

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Elite Series SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Elite Series FINAL: Winner of semi final 1 vs. Winner of semi final 2

 

MATCH 1: SEMI FINAL 1: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Eisaku Hoshino

Nobuatsu Tatsuko controversially finished top of Block A and took on Hoshino, who squeezed through in second spot of Block B.

Both men were keen to get back into the Glory Crown title picture, having suffered defeats to reigning champion Mito Miwa at the tail end of 2000.

Hoshino was dogged and relentless as usual, while Tatsuko was arguably the greatest Elite Series competitor in the tournament’s history. He proved that again by overcoming Hoshino with a Tatsuko Driller to make it to his fourth consecutive final.

 

MATCH 2: SEMI FINAL 2: Pistol Pete Hall vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Pistol Pete Hall was on a rampage. He had defeated fifteen members of the PGHW roster in the space of three months, often beating two opponents in a night. And he surged through the block stage, winning all seven of his matches.

But he came up against his toughest test yet, the winner of the previous year’s Elite Series, Eisaku Kunomasu who was one of the few wrestlers in the company who could go strike-for-strike with Hall.

And they absolutely traded some strikes. It was an incredible display of slaps, chops, elbows and forearms, with Kunomasu sprinkling in some high kicks, too.

But in the end, it was a Pistol Whip Lariat that finished the match for Hall, who scored another win and made it to the Elite Series final to face Tatsuko!

 

MATCH 3: Chuichi Sanda and Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) vs. Kojiro Harada and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

 

Kojiro Harada and both members of Team MILLENIUM had a pretty disappointing Elite Series. They regained a little pride and momentum by dispatching Sanda and Rebel Cell here, with Harada getting the pin over Sanda.

 

MATCH 4: Akinori Kwakami & Danger Kumasaka vs. Dread & Raymond Diaz

Danger Kumasaka joined his latest protégé in a tough match against Dread and Raymond Diaz. Dread was in a foul mood, having seen two of his DREAD Army soldiers fall to injury and barely missing out on qualification to the semi-final of the Elite Series on a technicality.

He and Diaz battered and mauled the aging Kumasaka and the inexperienced Kwakami. Diaz got the pin over Kwakami with a Ray Gun.

 

MATCH 5: Hito Ichihara, Mito Miwa and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano, Koryusai Kitoaji and Noriyori Sanda

Koryusai Kitoaji and Hito Ichihara did battle again, only this time both with a handpicked young lion in their corner. Yasunobu Koiso was a surefire star-in-the-making, while Iwane Okano boasted incredible talent.

The difference in the teams was Mito Miwa on one side versus Noriyori Sanda on the other. The reigning Glory Crown champion led his team to victory, pinning Sanda after a Pride Bomber.

 

MATCH 6: Sean McFly © vs. Steve Flash for the Historical Japan title

Sean McFly could hold his head high after a solid Elite Series performance, but a couple of defeats meant he had a few challengers to the Historical Japan in waiting.

However, they were otherwise engaged at Night of HONOUR, so the opportunity fell to Steve Flash. The Canadian had been seen a few times in the last few months, mostly at the Elite Tag Series, but was yet to get a real break.

He showed what he was made of in this match, pushing McFly hard, but ultimately succumbing to the Delorean Driver.

 

MATCH 7: Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) © vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Yoshimi Mushashibo’s underhanded antics had infuriated Tommy Cornell and split Kumasaka-buntai in half. Now Team Dynasty 2000 found themselves defending the Glory Tag Crown titles against their team mates in Cornell and Morgan.

Mushashibo got the upper hand over Cornell in their singles match at Night of BATTLE, but in the block stages, Cornell held him to a draw, and Mushashibo’s cheating got him disqualified in the final match, meaning he didn’t reach the semi-final.

Now he came under attack from a fired-up Cornell and determined Walter Morgan. At the same time, his tag partner, Shuji Inukai was still suffering from his long-term back injury, despite having enjoyed a month of rest while the Elite Series went on.

Mushashibo knew he had to compensate for Inukai’s problem again. He was more careful, now, keen to avoid the watchful eye of the referee.

But he never expected what would happen. While he lined Cornell up for a Yoshimi Lock, it was Cornell who dug his fingers into Mushashibo’s eyes, blinding him and hitting the Rough Justice for a three count!

Cornell and Morgan became new Glory Tag Crown champions in a stunning result! But more stunned than anyone was Mushashibo, who saw his own trick used against him.

 

MATCH 8: Elite Series FINAL: Nobuatsu Tatsuko vs. Pistol Pete Hall

For once, Nobuatsu Tatsuko hadn’t been the most dominant performer in the Elite Series. Sure, he had looked great, but who could deny Pistol Pete Hall’s eight consecutive wins was mightily impressive.

Still, Tatsuko went into the final as the favourite. It was his fourth final, having won two of the previous three Elite Series. He was a former Glory Crown champion and the leader of the new wave and a key pillar in PGHW.

By contrast, Pistol Pete Hall had won no gold in PGHW. His partnership with Dino Maldini as Strike Force failed to impress, and he was yet to sustain a long-term run of form.

What Hall did have over Tatsuko was size. On a roster with someone the size of Dread, it often escaped notice how big and powerful Hall was. He dwarfed Tatsuko and had as much as one hundred pounds of weight advantage over him.

And he used that to great effect. The match saw Tatsuko trying to deal with Hall’s power and immovability. Of course, Tatsuko was used to fighting bigger men, like Dread. But it was still a great effort for him to move the big man around.

Several times Tatsuko attempted the Tatsuko Driller, but he couldn’t quite lift Hall into the right position, his muscles giving out at just the last moment.

The crowd were enthralled. The heroic Tatsuko was pulling out everything, but Hall matched him. The American was on a mission and nobody would stop him. When he hit the Pistol Whip Lariat, Tatsuko looked like he had broken in half. And those halves were unable to kick out of the pinfall.

Pistol Pete Hall won the Elite Series! It was an incredible achievement and his run of victories extended to 17!

 

Conclusion

Night of PRIDE 2001 was a show to remember. The bout between Hall and Tatsuko roared to the top of the all-time matches in PGHW, surpassing anything the company had put on before. It was the birth of a legend in Hall, who also competed in the second-best match of the night against Kunomasu (a match which was a top-ten PGHW match of all time in its own right).

But while Hall was the standout star, Tommy Cornell and Yoshimi Mushashibo were also making headlines after their tag match that ended dramatically. That match was up there with Team EXPLOSION vs. Team MYTHOS from Night of WRESTLING 1999 and Cornell & Morgan’s victory was huge for both of the young Brits.

The standard of all matches on the show, along with the stunning main event made this show the best ever in anyone’s reckoning.

Afterwards, some wrestlers had a word to say.

Tommy Cornell (speaking in stilted Japanese): Do the right thing. I’ve been thinking about that a lot since Mushashibo beat me. What does it mean?

Well, I have to agree with him. You have to do the right thing to win. And tonight, me and Walt won gold!

As he finished speaking, Mushashibo and Inukai appeared. For a moment there was tension in the media room, but Mushashibo extended his hand. Cornell took it and allowed him to speak.

Mushashibo: You’re smart, Tommy. Incredibly smart. I thought I had you pinned down as… well, as someone just like I was a few years ago. Naïve. Honest to the point of fault. Now I see what you really are. Cunning. Wise beyond your years. Willing to do what it takes to be successful.

I like that. I have learned that the most beautiful thing in life is victory. And while it hurts me to sit here alongside Shuji without those titles, it is beautiful to see you two holding them. You are winners. But mark my words, when Shuji is fit again, back to one hundred percent, you must know we’re coming back for those belts. And we will do whatever it takes to win gold again.

Finally, Pistol Pete Hall had some words in fluent Japanese.

Hall: This feeling. I haven’t felt it in a long time. Not since before I got injured and stopped competing. Not since the eighties when I was rampaging through North America and Japan. I was unstoppable. A juggernaut powering down the highway.

And when I joined PGHW a few years ago, I always thought this was going to be a bit of fun. Enjoy myself, go up against the best in the world. I never had my mind on gold and trophies. But here I am.

Last year, I changed. I don’t know what Dread did to me, but that juggernaut woke up. And it ain’t stopping soon.

Mito Miwa. You know what’s coming. You’re tied down on the road ahead. But I don’t wish to rush. I have names to call, numbers to check off, more stops on the highway before I reach my destination. I will get to you, sooner or later. Maybe you’ll be the final man I defeat. Maybe not. But you know I’m coming, so keep the Glory Crown warm for me, okay? 

 

OOC: Thanks everyone for making your predictions - it's always fun to see how you all think things will turn out!

[Willsky]

THE FIGHTING CHAMP

Sean McFly had already established himself as one of PGHW’s most talented wrestlers. His speed and energy had recently been supplemented with some incredible brawling and striking skills which rivalled anyone else in the company.

And while he had already seen great success in the tag division, 2001 was proving to be his breakout year as a singles wrestler in Japan.

As Historical Japan champion, he carried the legacy of the belt with pride and dignity, with some stellar performances in the first few months of the year.

But how long could he keep the belt knowing he would have to defend it on every show? Challengers were queuing up to dethrone him.

 

Night of FORTITUDE, April 2001

Sean McFly continued to put the Historical Japan title on the line at every event, as was tradition, and he continued offering title shots to those who would otherwise struggle to get a look in.

The Historical Japan title was all about giving chances, and Akinori Kwakami, urged on by Danger Kumasaka, was the man who stepped up at Night of FORTITUDE.

Kwakami was developing under the veteran’s guidance and was quite an accomplished technician by now. He gave McFly some things to think about, but the champion handled it and hit a Delorean Driver to win.

 

Night of POWER, April 2001

Yasunobu Koiso followed in Kwakami’s footsteps and became the next young lion to challenge Sean McFly for the Historical Japan title.

Koiso enjoyed the mentorship of Hito Ichihara, who encouraged him from ringside. However, it wasn’t enough for the youngster to resist the Delorean Driver that finished the match.

 

Night of EXCELLENCE, May 2001

The third of PGHW’s highly-rated young lions, Iwane Okano challenged Sean McFly next. Nobody could accuse the champion of denying opportunities.

Okana was raw talent. With Koryusai Kitoaji guiding him, he was beginning to show better decision making to go with his savage striking and brutal technical prowess.

But yet again, the Delorean Driver was too much for the youngster to handle and McFly continued his impressive reign.

After three relatively straightforward victories, someone higher up the ranking wanted a shot. Tommy Cornell said it was his time to challenge. One half of the reigning Glory Tag Crown champions, he wanted to become double champ at Night of SUCCESS.

 

Night of SUCCESS, May 2001

Sean McFly defending against Tommy Cornell main-evented Night of SUCCESS, showing how McFly was bringing the belt into even greater repute.

The match itself was good, although not quite at the level some expected. The weight of the main event and a few too many minutes prevented it from reaching the heights some had hoped for, but it was still a fantastic bout.

Cornell gave McFly his biggest challenge for a while, seemingly having him beaten on several occasions, but McFly always found a way to escape and the Delorean Driver notched another victim.

After the show, McFly was confronted by Eisaku Hoshino. Hoshino said McFly had been defending against easy opposition for too long (which later drew a bitter retort from Cornell). Now it was time he faced a proper challenger, someone who had won the Historical Japan title before and was ready to do it again. Hoshino wanted gold. McFly accepted, making a huge match for Night of GLORY.

[Willsky]

THE NEW CHAMPIONS

While it was certainly shocking that Tommy Cornell and Walter Morgan defeated their Kumasaka-buntai team mates Team Dynasty 2000 for the Glory Tag Crown titles, it was not a surprise to many fans.

After all, Shuji Inukai was still far from 100%, Mushashibo’s behaviour had become more and more questionable, while Tommy Cornell was fast developing into one of the best wrestlers in the company.

Alongside Cornell, Walter Morgan was enjoying the best time of his career. It seemed the young technician was destined for success in tag competition. On his own, he struggled to see out matches as he would often run out of steam. But with Cornell to substitute for him, he was able to keep up his technical wizardry for the long haul.

And wizardry certainly was the word for it. Mushashibo was in contention for being the top technician in the world, perhaps only second to Jeremy Stone. But Morgan was not far behind and could well be argued to be a top-five technical wrestler on the planet.

So really, Cornell and Morgan’s victory was inevitable. The next step for them was to convert themselves into solid, long-term champions. They would have plenty of opposition in the burgeoning PGHW tag division, with established powerhouse teams and new alliances forming all around.

 

Night of FORTITUDE, April 2001

Such was the acclaim that Tommy Cornell and Walter Morgan had earned, they immediately main-evented their first show since winning the Glory Tag Crown titles.

They took on former champions Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara) who held several prior victories over them.

But Inao and Umehara had lost the spark that propelled them to gold in 2000 and they couldn’t withstand the vivacious energy of the new champions. Cornell got the win with a Guilt Trip.

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) also competed in tag action on the show, defeating Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara).

Tatsuko may have initially resented his partnership with Sanda, but the more they tagged together, the more invested he became, despite the fact that he had to do most of the work. And victories helped, of course.

 

Night of POWER, April 2001

Nobuatsu Tatsuko was on the winning team again at Night of POWER. This time he didn’t tag with Sanda, instead teaming with Dread, Raymond Diaz and Dan Stone Jr to defeat the foursome of Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) and Cornell & Morgan.

The main action was between DREAD Army and Team EXPLOSION and Dread & Diaz earned a tag title shot as a result of the victory, but it was clear Tatsuko had turned his eye towards the Glory Tag Crown titles.

 

Night of EXCELLENCE, May 2001

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) made it another victory, this time alongside Koryusai Kitoaji and Steve Flash as they dispatched Danger Kumasaka, Akinori Kwakami, Chuichi Sanda and Mamoru Nagahama.

Then, in another main event, Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan defended the Glory Tag Crown titles in an all-gaijin match against Dread and Raymond Diaz of DREAD Army.

It was a brutal affair, with the size of Dread and Diaz proving almost too much to handle for the champions. But Morgan was able to use his clever technique and leverage to wrap up the girth of Raymond Diaz, allowing Cornell to take advantage, using the Guilt Trip to win and retain the belts!

 

Night of SUCCESS, May 2001

At Night of SUCCESS, Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) were once again on the victorious side of a multiman match. This time it was a ten-man tag in which they teamed with Yoshimi Mushashibo, Steve Flash and Fukusaburu Inao.

They overcame the combination of Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara), Koryusai Kitoaji, Iwane Okano and Chuichi Sanda.

The Glory Tag Crown champions both competed in singles action. Walter Morgan attempted to best Pistol Pete Hall, but found himself swatted down by the force of nature that was Hall’s charge to glory.

Tommy Cornell challenged Sean McFly for the Historical Japan title in what was Cornell’s third main event match in just four shows. Unfortunately for him, it was a losing effort as McFly showed he was the better gaijin on this occasion.

After the match, Morgan joined Cornell in the ring and they were soon interrupted by Nobuatsu Tatsuko who made his way down.

Tatsuko grabbed a microphone and began making a title challenge to the champions. He was soon interrupted by Noriyori Sanda who sprinted to be alongside his tag partner as the words were spoken.

Cornell and Morgan looked at each other and both agreed to the match, which was set for Night of GLORY!

[Willsky]

EXPLOSION and the Army

DREAD Army was having a tough time with injuries. Dino Maldini’s Historical Japan title reign was cut short by a long-term injury, while new member Mamoru Nagahama was working through an ankle problem that looked set to last a while.

The only two fit members of the group were Dread and Raymond Diaz. The two giant Americans would not be put off by their team mates’ woes, though, and were determined to continue their rampage across PGHW.

Unfortunately for them, there were plenty who wanted to stop them. Team EXPLOSION were among them, and it was inevitable that tempers would flare between such violent and intense competitors.

 

Night of FORTITUDE, April 2001

DREAD Army (Dread & Raymond Diaz) took on Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) in a tag match at Night of FORTITUDE.

It was a brutal, hard-hitting affair that ended in a shocking victory for DREAD Army. Dread himself was the man to get the pin after he and Diaz hit the Too Hot to Handle (Diaz and Lee Wright’s old finishing move) on Kunomasu.

Kunomasu and Hoshino were furious at their loss. Kunomasu, usually stoic and silent, showed a rare flare of emotion as he squared up to Dread after the match. Cool heads prevailed, and the teams separated before things got out of control.

 

Night of POWER, April 2001

Eisaku Kunomasu had a chance to exact some revenge on Dread at Night of POWER as they were on opposing teams again. This time it was an eight-man tag match.

Dread teamed with Raymond Diaz, Nobuatsu Tatsuko and Dan Stone Jr while Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) were joined by reigning Glory Tag Crown champions Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan.

Kunomasu and Dread had a wild few minutes as legal men together, with their striking exchange sending them tumbling out of the ring.

But that was not the decisive moment of the match. Instead, Dread focused on Walter Morgan, hitting a Dread Bomb on him, then tagging in Diaz for the Too Hot to Handle, letting Diaz get the pinfall victory.

This put Dread and Diaz in prime contention for a shot at the Glory Tag Crown titles, which was made for Night of EXCELLENCE.

 

Night of EXCELLENCE, May 2001

Early in the night, Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) let off some steam as they ran through Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) in a strong victory.

The main event of the show was an all-gaijin Glory Tag Crown match as Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan put their titles on the line for the second time. Dread and Raymond Diaz were aggressive in their challenge, manhandling the young Brits.

But Tommy Cornell particularly, was beginning to show signs of a true megastar as he fought from underneath the bigger men and surged back into contention. He hit Raymond Diaz with a Justice Served to retain the tag titles!

 

Night of SUCCESS, May 2001

DREAD Army (Dread & Raymond Diaz) had a rematch with Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu).

Both teams wanted to get themselves back into Glory Tag Crown contention, but their main motivation was to defeat their rivals and gain bragging rights.

The last encounter, at Night of FORTITUDE, went the way of DREAD Army, but Team EXPLOSION refused to let that happen again. They targeted Diaz and hit him with the Eisaku Explosion to get a resounding victory.

After the show, Eisaku Hoshino announced his intention to go after Sean McFly’s Historical Japan title, while Eisaku Kunomasu called out Dread for a singles match at Night of GLORY. Dread was very happy to accept, claiming he’d destroy Kunomasu.

[Willsky]

HALL’S HURTLE

Pistol Pete Hall was in the best form of his life. After a few years of struggling to compete at the top, his repeated battering by DREAD Army awakened the incredible force the world had been waiting to see since his return to wrestling.

And at the Elite Series 2001 it was on full display. A complete performance, winning all seven block matches and defeating Nobuatsu Tatsuko in the final, all that after demolishing eight opponents in the four shows leading up to the tournament.

There was no denying he deserved his guaranteed shot at Mito Miwa’s Glory Crown title, but he seemed in no rush to take it.

Instead, there were names to cross off his list. While he had dispatched of more than half the roster, around a dozen remained. The question was, when would Mito Miwa’s name come up?

 

Night of FORTITUDE, April 2001

Despite the intense schedule of the Elite Series, Pistol Pete Hall refused to relent in his charge. He continued fighting two matches per show. At Night of FORTITUDE, the first of these was against Chuichi Sanda.

Sanda didn’t prove too much of an issue and a Pistol Whip Lariat got the job done in fifteen minutes.

Later in the night, Hall took on Steve Flash. Flash was yet to impress in PGHW, although he had a good showing against Hall, who began to tire near the end.

But if there was an opportunity for Flash, he didn’t take it. Rather, he took a Pistol Whip Lariat and a loss.

 

Night of POWER, April 2001

Noriyori Sanda was the next victim in the path of the rampaging Pistol Pete Hall. The youngster gave everything, as usual, but heart and energy aren’t enough against a colossal man on a once-in-a-lifetime rampage. Pistol Whip Lariat. Job done.

Mamoru Nagahama would have proven a much tougher opponent had he not been struggling with injury. Nagahama joined DREAD Army at the tail end of 2000, so was involved in tormenting Hall.

But it was all torment for Nagahama who, despite putting on a brave face, couldn’t resist the power and intensity that led to a Pistol Whip Lariat win.

 

Night of EXCELLENCE, May 2001

The list of opponents Hall had to face was rapidly diminishing as he blasted through them all. Fukusaburu Inao was his first challenger at Night of EXCELLENCE. The former Glory Tag Crown champion took Hall to the limit, nearly causing a huge upset, but in the end Hall was able to put him down.

Then it was Shuji Inukai’s turn. However, like Nagahama before, Inukai was far from 100%. Fans who wanted to see Inukai’s Untouchable Lariat collide with Hall’s Pistol Whip Lariat would have to be patient.

Still, at least they got to see the Pistol Whip Lariat as it won Hall the match. Inukai became number 23 on Hall’s scorecard.

 

Night of SUCCESS, May 2001

Pistol Pete Hall had two potential roadblocks on his road, in the name of Walter Morgan and Dan Stone Jr. Both were young gaijin hoping to one day emulate the likes of Hall and Dread.

Morgan was reigning Glory Tag Crown champion and perhaps thought he could create more of a name for himself by upsetting Hall. He was wrong. His technical wizardry proved no match for Hall’s immense power.

Dan Stone Jr carried more weight and muscle than Morgan, but at this stage of his career, he didn’t have the experience to seize opportunities when they came.

And he had an opportunity. By the end of their match, Hall had wrestled for over forty minutes that night alone and looked short on breath.

Instead of capitalising, Stone tried to go for a rushed win. Hall still had one burst of energy left and exploded into a tremendous Pistol Whip Lariat that span Stone upside down.

Hall made it 25 in a row. Only a few names remained on his list. And one of them was Mito Miwa.

[Shmoe II]

as this goes on the more and more I love your approach. in terms of presentation its as bare bones as it gets but you move everything along with definition and brevity - a tough thing to do together, but you do it. the long term storytelling you provide is just excellent. didn't see Pistol Pete being this much of a guy but it's pretty cool to see the veteran going for broke and delivering.

[Willsky]

On 5/31/2024 at 5:19 PM, Shmoe II said:

as this goes on the more and more I love your approach. in terms of presentation its as bare bones as it gets but you move everything along with definition and brevity - a tough thing to do together, but you do it. the long term storytelling you provide is just excellent. didn't see Pistol Pete being this much of a guy but it's pretty cool to see the veteran going for broke and delivering.

Thanks for saying so. I know the text-only format isn't for everyone, but I've found it my favourite way for telling stories in the long run, and not having to worry about graphics etc. means I can just get stuck in and write. As for Pistol Pete, he's certainly on a tear right now! 

[Willsky]

TICKING TIME BOMB

Mito Miwa was enjoying a strong run as Glory Crown champion. He had defeated Eisaku Hoshino, Eisaku Kunomasu and Dread in high-profile matches so far. And he had only narrowly missed out on Elite Series success due to a technicality in the block stage.

The victor of that tournament suffered no technicalities. Pistol Pete Hall dominated the Elite Series and looked unstoppable in his conquest of the roster.

When would he get his Glory Crown match? Not yet, as he had stated he wanted to tick more names of his list.

That left Mito Miwa in the search of other challengers until Hall was ready. And that meant there was a chance Miwa would drop the title before his match with Hall could even take place!

 

Night of FORTITUDE, April 2001

Mito Miwa took part in a six-man tag match at Night of FORTITUDE. He partnered Hito Ichihara and Yasunobu Koiso. The three men showed plenty of affinity to each other. Miwa was long considered the heir of Ichihara’s position in PGHW, while Koiso was Ichihara’s protégé and had recently tagged with Sean McFly, another ally of Miwa.

They took on Kojiro Harada and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo). Inukai was still far from his best. It had been months since he sustained his spinal injury and despite having a month to recover during the Elite Series, the injury had not gone away.

Yoshimi Mushashibo was in fine condition, though. He and Inukai had just lost the Glory Tag Crowns and Mushashibo himself had failed to qualify from the block stage of the Elite Series, so he was determined to get back to winning ways.

And he did so. Yasunobu Koiso was his victim. The youngster wasn’t used to the kind of trickery Mushashibo was now employing and he couldn’t avoid a thumb to the eye with the referee unsighted.

This led to a Yoshimi Lock as Mushashibo submitted Koiso right in front of Miwa.

After the match, Mushashibo demanded a shot at the Glory Crown.

 

Night of POWER, April 2001

Yoshimi Mushashibo didn’t have to wait long for his title shot. Mito Miwa defended the belt in the main event of Night of POWER.

A year or two before, this match would have been hailed as a potential match of the year candidate. It was incredible. But PGHW had stepped up a level recently and this match was considered another of many fantastic title matches.

Mushashibo was up to his tricks again. On several occasions he was about to do something illegal, but held off just in time as the referee was wise to it.

In fact, the referee, Shihei Nagano, was on the ball throughout the match, clearly instructed by higher ups to keep an eye on Mushashibo in such an important bout.

So when Mushashibo thought he had created a situation to dig his fingers into Miwa’s eyes, Nagano shifted his position to see the illegal manoeuvre and call an instant disqualification.

Mushashibo was furious. This wasn’t the first time he’d been caught, but it certainly was the most important. He stormed away, while Miwa was muted in his celebration.

Miwa certainly came across pensive at the end of the show. Something was on his mind, and many reckoned it wasn’t anything to do with Mushashibo.

 

Night of EXCELLENCE, May 2001

Night of EXCELLENCE saw Mito Miwa team up with Hito Ichihara and Yasunobu Koiso again. They found themselves against Kojiro Harada, Yoshimi Mushashibo and Dan Stone Jr.

This time, Koiso had learned from his mistake at Night of FORTITUDE and refused to let Mushashibo get him into a compromising position where the referee couldn’t see an illegal move.

This frustrated Mushashibo further. There was nothing beautiful about his wrestling or his attitude on this occasion. And if beauty was found in victory, things turned ugly for him, as Dan Stone Jr got caught in the Pride Bomber from Miwa to end the match.

While Koiso and Ichihara looked delighted with the win, Miwa had his mind elsewhere. He looked impatient, almost nervous.

 

Night of SUCCESS, May 2001

While Mito Miwa may not have been enjoying himself at this stage of his Glory Crown run, he was certainly seeing success alongside Hito Ichihara and Yasunobu Koiso.

They scored another win. Kojiro Harada was once again a victim, alongside another veteran-protégé pairing in Danger Kumasaka and Akinori Kwakami.

Miwa was impressive as always, but most of the work was done by Koiso and Ichihara, with Ichihara pinning Kwakami.

After the show, Miwa had something to get off his chest.

Miwa: I feel like there’s a ticking time bomb strapped to my chest. I can’t move on, I can’t push forward as champion while it’s there.

The problem is, I can’t see the timer on the bomb. I don’t know when it’s going to explode.

But that changes. I’m going to rip at that bomb. Tear out the wires, smash the circuits. Because Pistol Pete Hall, your time is up. You’ve been hanging over me for too long and I want this over with now.

At Night of GLORY, you WILL face me for the Glory Crown. I don’t care about your list. I don’t care who you’ve beaten recently. The only thing that matters is that I am the champion and you are the challenger. And when Night of GLORY is over, that bomb will be defused, deactivated… just a lump of metal. I will tear it off me and throw it to the side and continue my reign!

[Willsky]

Night of GLORY 2001 Predictions Card

Night of GLORY will mark the fifth anniversary of the inception of PGHW in 1996 (although the first show took place in July).

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

[SomeLazyMagic]

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

[monrapi3]

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

[Shmoe II]

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

[pentagon]

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

[Willsky]

Night of GLORY, June 2001

 

Night of GLORY will mark the fifth anniversary of the inception of PGHW in 1996 (although the first show took place in July).

YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

 

MATCH 1: YOUNG LION SHOWCASE: Akinori Kwakami and Yasunobu Koiso vs. Iwane Okano and Michael Howard

The most recent cadre of young lions had enjoyed plenty of development and time on major shows recently with high-profile mentors.

They took part in a showcase tag match. Kwakami, Koiso and Okano were already known by most fans, while Michael Howard had been impressing in SAISHO and was given this opportunity to show his stuff.

He impressed, as did all the youngsters. Kwakami and Koiso came out on top thanks to a well-executed Koiso Kutter.

 

MATCH 2: Dan Stone Jr, Rebel Cell (Harumi Okazawaya & Sotatsu Sarumara) and Team Dynasty 2000 (Shuji Inukai & Yoshimi Mushashibo) vs. Kojiro Harada, Raymond Diaz, Steve Flash and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara)

A huge ten-man match brought some serious quality to the start of the show. Shuji Inukai was still struggling with his physical condition, while Mushashibo looked angry at his recent disappointments.

Still, they found themselves on the right side of victory, having the fortune of teaming with Dan Stone Jr who continued to quietly impress.

 

MATCH 3: Dread vs. Eisaku Kunomasu

Dread and Kunomasu came to blows in the recent feud between DREAD Army and Team EXPLOSION. The latest encounter saw Team EXPLOSION come out on top. Dread wanted revenge, while Kunomasu was hoping to get another big scalp to add to his resume.

As expected, it was a brutal, hard-hitting exchange of savage strikes and powerful throws.

Dread asserted his dominance early on, but Kunomasu refused to give in, battling back with steely determination and hitting two consecutive Launching Knee Strikes to get a huge singles win!

 

Special Appearance from Luis Figo Manico

Luis Figo Manico made his return to PGHW to a huge ovation. It was nearly two years since he retired due to a devastating cruciate ligament injury. After departing PGHW, he went on to become head booker and prime figure in Ultimate Combat Ring, a sports entertainment promotion in Spain.

He came out to celebrate the fifth anniversary of PGHW and put over the incredible roster he had the privilege of sharing a locker room with.

The sadness that tinged his exit from the company was transformed here into a sense of respect and joy at what he achieved in Japan as well as plenty of expectation for the future of his career behind the scenes.

 

MATCH: 4: FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MATCH: Danger Kumasaka, Hayate Hasegawa and Hito Ichihara vs. Go Matsunaga, Koryusai Kitoaji and Mamoru Nagahama

Six of PGHW’s original roster competed in a tag match. Veterans Hasegawa and Matsunaga returned for this one-off appearance. They were both instrumental in the training and development going on in SAISHO and while their performances were well below what they used to be, they received plenty of applause.

Koryusai Kitoaji and Hito Ichihara had a fun interaction in which they replicated moments from their legendary rivalry. When Hito Ichihara climbed the turnbuckles, the crowd swelled, and when he hit a beautiful missile dropkick on Kitoaji, they went wild.

The only sour note was the presence of Mamoru Nagahama. He spent most of the match with a scowl and, despite working through an injury, he was vicious towards his opponents, particularly Danger Kumasaka.

And it was he who got the victory, choking out Hasegawa with a Guillotine. When, with the bell having rung, he kept the hold on, all the other veterans piled in to pull him away and scold him. Nagahama stormed away from the veterans who all paid their respects to each other in the ring.

 

MATCH 5: Eisaku Hoshino vs. Sean McFly © for the Historical Japan title

The intensity of the show ramped up rapidly, changing from a fun nostalgia match to a bout between two of the company’s top young stars.

McFly was about to reach six months with the Historical Japan title, while Eisaku Hoshino was determined to start his second reign with the belt.

Hoshino’s stock went up massively at the tail end of 2000 when he and Mito Miwa put on two of the best matches in PGHW’s history. He may have lost both, but he looked destined for victories down the road.

And against McFly, it was another incredible bout. While McFly had earned adoration from the fans for his energy and workrate, Hoshino was always able to get them behind him, refusing to give in to the onslaught that McFly enacted upon him.

As always, he roared back into contention, his scrappy, dogged tenacity getting McFly on the back foot.

But McFly wasn’t ready to give up his title yet. He withstood the late rampage from Hoshino to hit the Delorean Driver and retain.

 

MATCH 6: Team Energy (Nobuatsu Tatsuko & Noriyori Sanda) vs. Tommy Cornell & Walter Morgan © for the Glory Tag Crown titles

The Glory Tag Crown titles were on the line, with Cornell & Morgan making their third defence since winning at Night of PRIDE. Tatsuko and Sanda were making their first bid for the tag belts as Team Energy after picking up a string of wins over the last couple of months.

Tatsuko was, as always, the dominant force for his team. Sanda rushed about and looked energetic, but was largely ineffective. He struggled against the grappling masterclass of Morgan and the direct offence of Cornell, surviving long enough to let Tatsuko in to run rampant.

But Cornell and Morgan quickly realised the pattern of the match and set about isolating Sanda as often as possible.

This paid off when they had him trapped on their side of the ring and Cornell was able to get the victory with the Guilt Trip.

Tatsuko went from excited about winning gold to furious at missing out by the end. He was seething at Sanda who had cost him victory and refused to even acknowledge the youngster’s existence as he strode to the back.

 

MAIN EVENT: Mito Miwa © vs. Pistol Pete Hall for the Glory Crown title

By far the outstanding PGHW wrestler of the last few months was Pistol Pete Hall. He was on an absurd run of singles victories over almost everyone on the roster, including an Elite Series tournament triumph.

After he defeated more of the other wrestlers in the company, Mito Miwa lost his patience with the big American, demanding that he cash in his Glory Crown title shot at Night of GLORY.

Hall accepted and made this huge main event. Miwa had held the Glory Crown since September 2000 and was approaching a full year as champion. It was a year in which he had set records for match ratings and show attendances.

The match started slowly. Like Hito Ichihara before him, Mito Miwa liked to study his opponents and exploit their weaknesses. This involved a few minutes of tentative encounters in which he could learn as much as possible.

Hall was willing to let this happen, knowing that Miwa wouldn’t be able to find much to take advantage of.

Eventually Miwa opted for a technical approach, trying to wrap Hall up in knots. It didn’t work. While Miwa was an accomplished grappler, Hall was able to defend and stay on his feet, threatening with deadly strikes when Miwa let his guard down.

One particular strike had Miwa reeling. Hall took advantage. For the next ten minutes, Hall was on the attack, as he had been for much of 2001. But it was much harder to defeat Miwa than it was most of the rest of the roster.

Miwa refused to give in. After twenty minutes of the match, he found another store of energy and hit back with savagery and pride, putting Hall in serious trouble.

It was all set up for the Pride Bomber. Not an easy task against someone as large as Hall, but Miwa raised the big man onto his shoulders with a herculean effort and dumped him onto the mat.

But instead of going for the cover, Miwa clutched his back, seemingly strained by the effort. That meant his cover was delayed for a few seconds… Hall kicked out!

Hall shrugged off Miwa’s attempts to cover him again and instead got to his feet… Pistol Whip Lariat!

The move turned Miwa inside out, sending him crumpling to the mat. One… Two…

Three!! Hall won! PGHW crowned a new Glory Crown champion!

Pistol Pete Hall made Mito Miwa number 26 on his list!

 

Conclusion

Miwa vs. Hall was a masterclass. It immediately became the best PGHW match of all time, with unanimous agreement. Hall’s rise to the top had caused waves in the wrestling industry worldwide, and this incredible bout against Miwa took the company to a new level once again.

It outperformed the other classics on the show like McFly vs. Hoshino and Kunomasu vs. Dread which were both first class matches.

It was a new reign, starting with potentially the best show of the year in Night of GLORY. It was hard to see how PGHW could keep rising at this rate, but they continued to defy the odds. With Hall at the top, the potential was astronomical.

[Willsky]

AT WHAT COST?

Records were being shattered. Matches were reaching a new level of quality. The stars of PGHW were rising to become household names and masters of their craft.

Pistol Pete Hall’s crowning match against Mito Miwa exemplified this, smashing the expectations of even the most optimistic fan and once again taking PGHW to the next level.

Things couldn’t be going better from a business point of view. However, all was not well. A worrying theme had begun to arise, an undertone of concern that I began to feel growing in my own mind and throughout the roster.

We were having all this success, but at what cost?

What cost to the bodies of the young wrestlers who put it all on the line every night?

The first one was the worst, and I should have taken heed. Luis Figo Manico suffered that horrific injury that forced him to retire at such a young age. Surely the most tragic event in the company so far, but in hindsight, it was just a very powerful symptom of something far more insidious.

Since that injury, Shuji Inukai, Mamoru Nagahama and Dino Maldini all suffered serious long-term injuries.

Yes, Inukai and Nagahama could continue to wrestle (it’s impossible to talk them out of it), but they were far from their best and Maldini was out for a full year.

The culprit, of course, was the style of wrestling. Critics said it was too dangerous. I responded by comparing it to the wrestling of the last thirty years which was no different. Even so, it worried me that by wrestling for PGHW could spell the end of a career.

That wasn’t right. Something had to change. But I couldn’t undermine the product by watering it down. The impactful brutality was what made PGHW so special. Plus, I doubt I’d manage to convince the majority of the roster to start taking it easy.

Instead, the solution was to treat the wrestlers’ bodies with care and quality. I hired a leading chiropractor and a team of masseuses to keep everyone in top condition and cut down on injuries.

But there was still risk. The question was, how much risk were we willing to live with?  

[Willsky]

THE SCHOOL OF TATSUKO

Nobuatsu Tatsuko was furious at losing at Night of GLORY, not for the first time in his life. On this occasion, it was for the Glory Tag Crown alongside Team Energy partner Noriyori Sanda. They failed to defeat Cornell & Morgan, with Sanda eating the pin.

After months of dedicating his efforts to Team Energy, carrying the partnership forward into title contention, and on occasion defeating teams almost on his own, it hurt Tatsuko that Sanda cost him gold.

Most wrestlers would have abandoned their partner at this point. They would have sought out a more senior and accomplished member of the roster who could hold their side of the bargain.

But Tatsuko was not most wrestlers. He had his own way of looking at things that people often failed to understand until he was proven right. And despite the fact that he had only agreed to pay any attention to Sanda as a result of a mild concussion, Tatsuko clearly saw something in the youngster.

So instead of casting aside the weight that dragged him down, he proceeded to enact the most extraordinary course of education the fans had ever seen.

 

Night of STRENGTH, June 2001

Nobuatsu Tatsuko began the curriculum by demanding Noriyori Sanda face him in singles action. Sanda was reluctant at first, but relented, hoping to please his partner.

What followed was a brutal attack. Tatsuko battered Sanda from post to post for over twenty minutes. There were several occasions when Tatsuko could have easily hit the Tatsuko Driller and got the win, but instead he continued exacting a bonebreaking punishment.

Sanda, for his part, didn’t give up easily. He stayed resilient, weathering the storm, until he found an opening to attack. He summoned his remaining energy (of which he always had plenty) and charged.

Tatsuko struck him down immediately and nailed him with a Tatsuko Driller.

It was a shocking end. If there was a lesson in there, Tatsuko had certainly delivered it with aplomb.

 

Night of WARRIORS, July 2001

Nobuatsu Tatsuko may have destroyed Noriyori Sanda at Night of STRENGTH, but he wanted another match with his junior tag partner. Sanda once again agreed, but looked a little confused.

Even more so when Tatsuko began the match by ordering Sanda to come at him. Sanda hesitated for a while, then attacked with all he could muster. He got a couple of good strikes in before Tatsuko shut him down with a brutal clothesline, then set to work battering the youngster again.

And again, Sanda hung in there for a fiery comeback near the end. This time he got a good thirty seconds of offence before Tatsuko dumped him on his head with the Tatsuko Driller.

 

Night of VICTORY, July 2001

It was time for the third match, according to Nobuatsu Tatsuko. His teaching wasn’t done yet. Noriyori Sanda had a look of frustration on his face. Why did he have to get beaten up again? What was the point?

When Tatsuko told him to attack, Sanda just walked up to Tatsuko and opened himself up to be struck. Ready to accept his punishment.

Tatsuko snarled in his face. He shoved Sanda, slapped him, kicked him as if toying with him. Sanda held firm, refusing to yield.

Eventually Tatsuko lost his patience and clocked him with a huge forearm. Then the beating went on again, Tatsuko refusing to pin Sanda when the opportunity arose.

Sanda took the punishment, not laying down, but accepting that it was his fate. But the longer things went on, Sanda realised he had to attack. He rushed at Tatsuko, showing that energy and fire the fans loved. He rushed Tatsuko into the corner and set about delivering a rapid-fire beating of his own.

Tatsuko survived a minute of this before blasting back with a shoulder tackle and hitting the Tatsuko Driller to win again.

Sanda was distraught at the end. He said in his post show comments:

Sanda: I don’t get it. What do you want from me? You tell me to fight you, but when I do you just shut me down. So I take my punishment. Are you done now? Are we done?

 

Night of LEGACY, August 2001

Nobuatsu Tatsuko was not done. He demanded Noriyori Sanda face him again in singles competition. Sanda could barely contain his distress and frustration at what he saw was another twenty minutes or so of pain.

Which is what he received. A pummelling just as devastating as those before, if not worse. This time Sanda actively tried to escape Tatsuko’s clutches and give him the run around.

Tatsuko lost his temper at this. When he got hold of Sanda he beat him hard, at one point smashing his brow open with a savage elbow strike.

Sanda fought back with courage again, this time lasting two minutes before Tatsuko dumped him on his head with another Tatsuko Driller.

 

Night of TOUGHNESS, August 2001

Night of TOUGHNESS in 2000 saw the match between Sanda and Tatsuko that impressed Tatsuko enough to agree to partnering with him in the Elite Tag Series.

A year on and they went at it again. Nobuatsu Tatsuko was still set on teaching Noriyori Sanda a lesson and this was their fifth consecutive bout.

This time Sanda did not wait to be told to attack. He flew at Tatsuko, knocking him off his feet and pounding him on the mat. Tatsuko looked in trouble until he shifted from underneath and hit back with a brutal kick to the ribs.

A series of slams and suplexes later and it was the same old predicament. Tatsuko destroying his tag partner.

After about fifteen minutes of this, Tatsuko could be heard shouting: “When will you learn?! How many times do I have to do this?!”

He kept torturing the youngster, grinding his elbow in Sanda’s face, stepping on his head, refusing to let him breathe.

Then Sanda lost it. Just like that, something snapped and the cheerful, energetic Noriyori Sanda disappeared, replaced by a picture of fire and violence.

He lashed out at Tatsuko with a furious kick to the face, followed up by a flurry of devastating blows.

Tatsuko fell back and Sanda kept it up, his face twisting in rage and spite, all the admiration and awe he had for Tatsuko replaced by bitterness and distilled fury.

It was a bloodbath. A kick to Tatsuko’s nose bust him open and a series of repeated chops to the neck had blood welling up on the skin.

A bestial ferocity was unleashed inside Sanda as he kept on this wild attack for five minutes, seemingly in a different world from the wrestling arena.

Tatsuko was in real trouble. With blood blurring his vision and his breathing hampered, he suffered.

But Tatsuko had been through countless wars and knew how to survive. He fought his way back into the match, roaring back at Sanda, until the two were screaming at each other in the middle of the ring before trading the hardest blows they could hit.

Nobody was going to win that exchange, so Tatsuko switched it up and scooped Sanda off his feet, hitting a Tatsuko Driller. The referee counted to three. Another loss for Sanda.

But something had changed. While Sanda refused to acknowledge Tatsuko after the bell rang, Tatsuko spoke in the post-show press conference.

Tatsuko: Finally. Sanda is hard-headed. It took a long time to get through to him, the real him. I knew it was in there. I saw it last year, deep within him. That savagery.

How did I know it was there? Because it is within me. And for many years I kept it locked away, hidden beneath the exterior of being a decent young man. But all the time, I was afraid of it.

In the end, it took Koryusai Kitoaji to make me realise I needed to find that part of me and unleash it if I wanted to achieve success. And that’s what I did.

And now, Sanda, you have found it within yourself. You may hate me right now, but if you want to achieve success, you will find that savagery, the animal part of your soul, and you will bring it to the Elite Tag Series. If you do, Team Energy cannot be stopped.

[Chaddes]

..... I think you've made Tatsuko my favourite character in this mate

Loved it, such a good angle. It makes team energy a even more interesting team than it already is, hopefully they get a tag run soon cause I really enjoy their dynamic together

[Willsky]

THE POWER OF PISTOL PETE

Pistol Pete Hall had done it. He vanquished Mito Miwa at Night of GLORY to become the sixth man to hold the Glory Crown in PGHW. A remarkable achievement for someone who had spent many of his prime years away from competitive wrestling.

His rampage to beat everyone on the roster seemed to have culminated at Night of GLORY, but there remained a couple of names still on his list. And now with the Glory Crown in his possession, the challenge was far from over.

The most notable name still remaining was Dread. He and his DREAD Army of Mamoru Nagahama and Raymond Diaz had been at war with Team EXPLOSION for months, and they didn’t look like slowing down.

How would this affect Pistol Pete Hall? Could it boil over and engulf him into another brutal conflict against the men who made the year 2000 so miserable for him?

 

Night of STRENGTH, June 2001

Pistol Pete Hall teamed with Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) to face DREAD Army’s Dread, Mamoru Nagahama & Raymond Diaz.

It was the first time Hall had come into contact with Dread since vowing that their battles were over at Night of WRESTLING 2000.

But it was inevitable that they would meet again, and on this occasion, Dread came out supreme. He scored the winning pinfall over Eisaku Hoshino after he and Diaz hit the Too Hot to Handle.

Dread immediately stepped up to Hall and demanded a title match. Hall was yet to face Dread on his quest to beat everyone on the roster.

 

Night of WARRIORS, July 2001

Of course, it was Dread who originally completed the feat of beating every member of PGHW in singles competition. He did it over the course of eighteen months, winning the Glory Crown in the process and putting down Hito Ichihara in the main event of Night of WRESTLING to cap it all off.

Now Pistol Pete Hall hoped to repeat the feat, although in a much shorter space of time. Now he faced Dread with the Glory Crown on the line.

It was a brawl the likes of which could only take place between two men of their size. The echoes of their bodies slamming together echoed around the arena as they took chunks out of each other.

Pistol Pete Hall was not to be stopped. He hit the Pistol Whip Lariat and scored a huge victory, his first defence of the Glory Crown.

Also on the show, Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) got a solid win over BATTERY (Mamoru Nagahama & Raymond Diaz), something which irritated Raymond Diaz significantly. He had plenty of history against Team EXPLOSION, going all the way back to 1997. A loss to them here infuriated him.

 

Night of VICTORY, July 2001

In a rematch of the Night of STRENGTH six-man tag, Pistol Pete Hall teamed with Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) to take on DREAD Army (Dread, Mamoru Nagahama & Raymond Diaz).

This time, it was Hall’s team who came out on top, thanks to an exceptional performance by Eisaku Kunomasu who finished off an Eisaku Explosion to pin Mamoru Nagahama.

Hall was so impressed by Kunomasu, that he offered him a shot at the Glory Crown at Night of LEGACY. Kunomasu was never going to turn that down, so the match was made.

Meanwhile, Dread had some issues to resolve as Raymond Diaz once again looked furious at losing, seeming to blame both Nagahama and Dread before storming off.

Dread shook his head in the ring, then turned to find Eisaku Hoshino in his face. Hoshino challenged Dread to a singles match at Night of LEGACY and promised he would put the big man down with the Godzilla Plunge.

 

Night of LEGACY, August 2001

Eisaku Hoshino may have bitten off more than he could chew by challenging Dread, but during their match, he showed that dogged, relentless tenacity that had won him so many admirers.

Dread, for his own part, looked slightly off the pace. And when Hoshino got him up for the Godzilla Plunge (an incredible feat of strength for the much smaller man), there was no kicking out. It marked one of the biggest victories in Hoshino’s career and another disappointing result for the leader of DREAD Army.

In the main event, Pistol Pete Hall put the Glory Crown on the line against Eisaku Kunomasu.

The pair had a superb back-and-forth brawl, with several extended striking exchanges getting the fans on their feet. Kunomasu fought bravely, but once again his bid to become Glory Crown champion faltered as he got turned inside out by the Pistol Whip Lariat.

Kunomasu’s time would come, but for now, the power of Pistol Pete was too much.

 

Night of TOUGHNESS, August 2001

Michael Howard was a young Latino rookie who had made his PGHW debut at Night of STRENGTH. While he had only appeared once, Pistol Pete Hall considered that he was a member of the roster, so needed to defeat him to make sure his rampage to beat everyone was valid.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t put the title on the line, as such an honour was not fitting for a young lion. Instead, it was a straight singles match to open the show.

Howard gave a good account of himself and showed plenty of potential, but few were surprised when Hall hit him with the Pistol Pete Lariat to win.

After Mamoru Nagahama failed in his attempt to win the Historical Japan title from Sean McFlyHis, the main event of Night of TOUGHNESS saw Dread and Raymond Diaz team with Cornell & Morgan to take on Team EXPLOSION (Eisaku Hoshino & Eisaku Kunomasu) and Team MILLENIUM (Fukusaburu Inao & Takeshi Umehara).

Diaz still looked angry with Dread, but focused that anger into aggression. He took it out on all four of his opponents, particularly targeting Team EXPLOSION.

And it was a good bit of teamwork with Dread that got them the win. They combined to hit the Too Hot to Handle on Takeshi Umehara, with Diaz getting the decisive pin.

A big win for DREAD Army heading into the Elite Tag Series, and it seemed like Raymond Diaz’s frustrations with the group had, for the time being, calmed down.