falling_star Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 (edited) United Promotions Japan was formed in 1951 as a conglomeration of the smaller regional federations across the country after the government introduced strict regulations for the sport. The promotion quickly established professional wrestling as one of the most popular sports in Japan, thanks in large part to trailblazer Ozeki who really established the sport throughout Asia. UPJ has gone through many different "eras" during its 70 year history - from the Ozeki days of the 1950s, the gaijin-heavy 1980s and the slim pickings of the early 2000s. In 2002, Ozeki's twin nephews Jun and Kenji Matsumoto purchased a controlling stake in UPJ but their poor management led to both the DIASPORA and HONOUR walkouts. With the promotion looking to be on its last legs, multinational drinks company Blue Rhino bought the company in 2015 and placed fan favourite veteran Tetsuo Nagata in charge. UPJ is finally back on top in Japan and looking set for a very successful 70th year. 2020 was a hot year for UPJ with a loaded calendar of events that saw tenacious superstar Kato become only the second man in company history to win back-to-back Ozeki Summit honors, the rise of Jin Fujiwara as a top junior heavyweight as he won his first ever Junior Mountain Cup, and the complete domination of the main event scene by the members of Kinjo-jidai. Sitting atop the heavyweight division is reigning UPJ International Heavyweight Champion, "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo, having reclaimed the title from "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki at UPJ's season finale event, Hall of the Immortals, in November. Surrounded by his cabal of allies, collectively known as Kinjo-jidai, Kintaro Kinjo has become perhaps the biggest star in Japanese wrestling history. Indeed, Kinjo claims to have eclipsed even Ozeki himself, though more than a few of his contemporaries claim this is a massive disrespect. As 2021 begins, Kinjo has not stepped foot inside a UPJ ring since winning the UPJ International Heavyweight in November; his absence from the annual Winter Spirit tour was highly scrutinized by the Japanese wrestling media, but he reemerged on Night One of the Blue Rhino Cup Tour to proclaim that 2021 would see him cement his legacy as the greatest of all time. This proclamation did not sit well with Kato and his Ignite Muscle Army allies, however, and it seems that the two factions are now on a path to war with the Kinjo-jidai tandem known as Explosive Spark, Kintaro Kinjo and his chosen heir Katsuhiko Ishii, taking on Kato and Erik van Rijn of Ignite Muscle Army in the main event of the Blue Rhino Cup Tour on Night Five. In the junior heavyweight world, charismatic performer Kozue has recently claimed the UPJ Junior Heavyweight Championship from fierce rival Furosuto to begin his fourth reign with the title. The division has continually struggled since the DIASPORA walkout and subsequent rise of their rival promotion in perception among the Japanese wrestling world, but the buzz among the Japanese wrestling media is that 2021 will see a refocus on the junior heavyweight division that is due to include an influx of talent from Japan and across the globe, as well as through their recently repaired relationship with Campeonato de la Lucha Libra de Mexico (CLLM). Welcome to United Promotions Japan, the summit of professional wrestling. CHAMPIONS ROLL CALL UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION "THE GOD EMPEROR" KINTARO KINJO of KINJO-JIDAI (November 2022 to present, defeated Oda Yamawaki) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS PURE MUSCLE (ATONGA & TAHEJI EBISAWA) of IGNITE MUSCLE ARMY (July 2020 to present, defeated PunkRockCity - Danger Asahara & TOKI INK of HardRockCity) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION KOZUE (November 2020 to present, defeated Furosuto) UNITED PROMOTIONS JAPAN JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS CAMERON CODY & JUNICHI MATSUO of HARDROCKCITY (November 2020 to present, defeated Kinjo-jidai's Akito Nakada & Haruko Yamada) Edited May 11 by falling_star 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted May 11 Author Share Posted May 11 BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, RECAP OF NIGHTS 1-4 Taking place at the tail end of December 2020, the first four nights of UPJ's Blue Rhino Cup Tour saw not only "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo's return to a UPJ ring with a searing promo that put all of United Promotions Japan on notice: 2021 will the biggest year of the Kinjo Era yet! Claiming those in his stable to be untouchable, Kinjo promised a "reign of terror" the likes of which UPJ has never seen will come to be in 2021. After a singles victory over Koji Yamada in the main event of Night Two, Ignite Muscle Army leader Kato said at the post-show press conference that he planned to be a roadblock on Kinjo's path to a dominant year, and challenged Kinjo to pick a partner and meet him in the ring for a tag team main event on Night Five of the tour. On Night Three, Kinjo's heir apparent, Katsuhiko Ishii, claimed victory over former UPJ International Heavyweight Champion "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki and revealed at the post-show press conference that he would team with Kintaro Kinjo as Explosive Spark to take on Kato & Erik van Rijn for that main event match on Night Five. In Blue Rhino Cup action, Night One saw Block A action with Filipino Fire Power and Vanguard both logging victories. Block B action on Night Two saw Kinjo-jidai's Waotaka Eda & Torture victorious, as well as Ignite Muscle Army's Pure MUSCLE, keeping the factions neck-and-neck as anticipation for their collision on Night Five builds. Filipino Fire Power was again victorious on Night Three of the tour, this time over Vanguard, and Strength Through Honour picked up their first Cup victory. On Night Four, Block B took center stage again, this time with Kinjo-jidai's Eda & Torture meeting Pure MUSCLE in the main event. In a hard fought battle, defending Blue Rhino Cup champions Atonga & Ebisawa fended off the challenge of Kinjo-jidai and the show ended with a massive face-off between Kinjo-jidai and Ignite Muscle Army. After two rounds of Blue Rhino Cup match-ups, the current points standings look like this: Nights Five, Six, and Seven of the tour will see a break from Blue Rhino Cup action with attraction matches featuring the competing teams taking place. Night Five will see two eight-man tag team matches taking place, one pitting two Block A teams against the other two Block A teams; and the same for Block B. Night Six will see current Block A leaders, Filipino Fire Power, taking on current Block B leaders, Pure MUSCLE, in a possible preview of the Blue Rhino Cup finals! Night Seven will see UPJ Junior Heavyweight Champion Kozue defend against Hall of the United Throne's SHOGUN; other nights will see top junior heavyweights Ryotaro Naruto, Furosuto, and Jin Fujiwara competing as all three men vie to be named top contender for the title at the Blue Rhino Cup Finals show in Tokyo. Block A will see round three action on Night Eight, and round four takes place on Night Ten; Block B will have round three on Night Nine, and finish up with round four on the last stop of tour for Night Eleven. Other than the Blue Rhino Cup finals match, the card for the actual Blue Rhino Cup Finals show in Tokyo remains up in the air; rumors persist that Kintaro Kinjo will be on the card for the show, but whether he puts the UPJ International title up for grabs or competes in a multi-man match against Ignite Muscle Army is yet to be seen. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, NIGHT FIVE In an impressive junior heavyweight outing, Furosuto defeated the debuting Sugarskull in 9:52 with a First Sign of Frost [71] In a Blue Rhino Cup Block A Special Attraction Match, HardRockCity's Filipino Fire Power & Strength Through Honour defeated Smash 'n' Grab & Vanguard in 10:09 [59] In a Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title match, HardRockCity's Cameron Cody & Junichi Matsuo defeated Kinjo-jidai's Akito Nakada & Haruko Yamada in 13:10 [65] In a Blue Rhino Cup Block B Special Attraction Match, Ignite Muscle Army's Pure MUSCLE & HardRockCity's PunkRockCity defeated Kinjo-jidai's Waotaka Eda & Torture and Hall of the United Throne's Captain UPJ & Daijiro Otsuka in 14:26 [65] In junior heavyweight action, Jin Fujiwara defeated Utamara with a Glittering Fujiwara in 13:40 [64] In the main event, Ignite Muscle Army's Kato & Erik van Rijn defeated Kinjo-jidai's Explosive Spark in 18:05 [73] POST-SHOW NOTES & PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES After "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo's boastful proclamation on Night One of the Blue Rhino Cup Tour, things are off to a rocky start for Kinjo-jidai in 2021. Junior heavyweight henchmen Nakada & Yamada failed to reclaim the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from HardRockCity's Cameron Cody & Junichi Matsuo; miscommunication between longtime rivals in Kinjo-jidai and Hall of the United Throne led to Eda & Torture losing their eight-man bout; and, in perhaps the shock of the evening, Kinjo himself along with understudy Katsuhiko Ishii fell to Ignite Muscle Army when Erik van Rijn pinned Ishii in the main event! The fallout from these happenings unfolded at the post-show press conference, where Kintaro Kinjo went on a tirade with a clear message to the rest of Kinjo-jidai: shape up, or ship out. The God Emperor made it clear that failure will not be tolerated among his cabal, and promised revenge on Night Six of the tour where he said, "failure will have consequences." Among the matches scheduled for Night Six that include members of Kinjo-jidai include a six-man tag that will see Mr. Yamashita, Akito Nakada, and Haruko Yamada take on the HardRockCity trio of Juro Deguchi, Cameron Cody, and Junichi Matsuo, Ryotaro Naruto taking on Dustin LeFever in junior heavyweight action, and an eight-man main event that will see Kinjo, Ishii, Eda, and Torture face-off against Ignite Muscle Army's Kato, Erik van Rijn, Bruiser Cassidy, and Takehide Harada. Sugarskull, the first luchador from CLLM to enter a UPJ ring since the recently repaired relationship was announced, put up an impressive but ultimately failed effort against Furosuto in the junior heavyweight division, and "The Steampunk Assassin" Jin Fujiwara picked up a win over Utamara later in the show. Furosuto, Fujiwara, and Ryotaro Naruto are all rumored to be in-line for a Junior Heavyweight Title shot at the Blue Rhino Cup Finals coming up in Tokyo. Can Naruto impress like his adversaries, or will Kinjo-jidai's Dustin LeFever take his place in line for a shot at the title? "I am very happy to represent my country, Mexico, and my home promotion, CLLM, here in United Promotions Japan. Furosuto may have gotten the better of me tonight, but you'll see me again soon, and I hope to have my hand raised in victory next time." - Sugarskull "What is a 'God Emperor' to a non-believer? What sort of deity continues to claim supremacy after falling to the superiority of Ignite Muscle Army? And what sort of man stands behind another as his heir when all men have their own will? Katsuhiko Ishii, we do not wish to hear any excuses for tonight's failure. We will meet again in a few nights, and the outcome will be the same: the power of man triumphing over the will of a so-called god." - Kato of Ignite Muscle Army "Erik van Rijn: I make no excuses, but I will not accept this result without a chance at redemption. You will meet me in the ring in the near future, and I will show you exactly why I have been God's Chosen Son. Kintaro Kinjo, my God Emperor: forgive me for my failures, and know that this lesson does not go unlearned. I will redeem myself in your eyes." - Katsuhiko Ishii of Kinjo-jidai "Failure will have consequences in my reign of terror; myself, the members of Kinjo-jidai, we are the storm... and you either ride the storm, or get consumed by it. Those unable to keep riding with me will find themselves falling out my good graces and into the eye of the storm. Kato, and your Ignite Muscle Army, I am speaking directly to you now, but the rest of United Promotions Japan may consider this a global warning: The God Emperor will turn non-believers to Kinjo-jidai, or he will break them, personally, before casting their body aside." - "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo, leader of Kinjo-jidai 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, NIGHT SIX In a junior heavyweight bout, newcomer Talisman defeated Utamara with a Golden Idol in 7:35 [57] In six-man tag action, Kinjo-jidai's Mr. Yamashita, Akito Nakada, and Haruko Yamada defeated HardRockCity's Juro Deguchi, Cody Cameron, and Junichi Matsuo in 11:47 [71] In junior heavyweight tag team action, HardRockCity's WILD (Hidetsugu Genji & Joao Iwahara) defeated The Eternal Pirate (Rocky Rivera & Artem Petrov) in 13:15 [49] In a Blue Rhino Cup Special Attraction Match, Ignite Muscle Army's Pure MUSCLE (Atonga & Taheiji Ebisawa) defeated HardRockCity's Filipino Fire Power (Amado Ocampo & Apolinario) in 15:43 [64] In junior heavyweight action, Hall of the United Throne's Ryotaro Naruto defeated Kinjo-jidai's Dustin Lever in 12:08 with a Naruto Driver [54] In the eight-man main event, the Kinjo-jidai team of Kintaro Kinjo, Katsuhiko Ishii, Waotaka Eda, and Torture defeated the Ignite Muscle Army team of Kato, Erik van Rijn, Bruiser Cassidy, and Takehide Harada in 16:09 [75] POST-SHOW NOTES & PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES Junior heavyweight action abounded this evening with half of the card featuring the division, including several debuting talents. Talisman has made a name for himself around the islands with other promotions before landing in UPJ, and picking up a win over Utamara that might seem surprising to those not familiar with the masked man's work. The HardRockCity-affiliated team of WILD picked up a win over the debuting Eternal Pirates as competition heats up in the division to become the next contenders to the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles, currently held by their HardRockCity allies, Cody Cameron and Junichi Matsuo. But, perhaps the most fallout of the night comes from Kinjo-jidai's Dustin LeFever, one of "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo's chosen heirs, losing to Hall of the United Throne's Ryotaro Naruto. A rebound night of sorts for Kinjo-jidai, minus Dustin LeFever's defeat at the hands of Ryotaro Naruto; "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo addressed LeFever's losss during the post-show press conference, saying that LeFever's next loss will result in his ejection from The God Emperor's kingdom. In the six-man match, Nakada & Yamada redeemed their loss on the last tour stop when Yamada pinned Junichi Matsuo for the win, while the main even saw Kinjo himself pick up the win for his stable by pinning Takehide Harada. "I am honored to have had my first match as a part of United Promotions Japan's storied junior heavyweight division, and even more excited to have picked up a win in my first showing here tonight. I am ready to show my skills against the best, and this is the best place to do that." - Talisman "Ishii: I accept. You may serve your so-called God as a faithful servant, but I, and the others in Ignite Muscle Army... we bend the knee to no man, we fear no god. I am a mountain, and you will never conquer the summit, Ishii. I'll see you in the ring." - Erik van Rijn of Ignite Muscle Army "Sometimes, things require a personal touch; that was the case tonight in proving our superiority to Ignite Muscle Army. But, hear this: I do not make a habit of repeating myself. I will reiterate what I said last time I spoke with you: losing has consequences in Kinjo-jidai. I do not tolerate failure when I demand excellence and domination. Dustin LeFever: I demand that you redeem yourself, or you will bid my kingdom farewell." - "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo, leader of Kinjo-jidai 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neslo024 Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Talisman is a great signing. He is money in my DIASPORA game. Him and Xero are former tag team champions and are core members of the tag team division. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted May 17 Author Share Posted May 17 2 hours ago, neslo024 said: Talisman is a great signing. He is money in my DIASPORA game. Him and Xero are former tag team champions and are core members of the tag team division. One of my main goals as a player in this save is to put some more focus on the junior heavyweight division and build-up some new talent. I think I hired six-to-eight new junior heavyweights between the singles and tag divisions, Talisman is one of two that I have very high hopes for; the other will be debuting soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neslo024 Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 There are so many great juniors. Sugarskull is another solid worker that you brought in. Fergus Storm is out there and I've had good luck with El Hijo del Relpagos(spelled that wrong buy that's basically it) too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted Sunday at 01:03 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 01:03 AM (edited) BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, NIGHT SEVEN In the opening contest, Álvaro Buey III defeated Des Miller in 12:52 with a Buey Bomb III [44] In junior heavyweight action, Dustin LeFever defeated Sugarskull in 10:06 [53] In another junior heavyweight contest, Jin Fujiwara defeated Talisman in 13:19 with a Glittering Fujiwara [61] In six-man tag action, Kinjo-jidai (Katsuhiko Ishii, Akita Nakada, and Haruko Yamada) defeated Hall of the United Throne (Ryotaro Naruto, Hyotaro Ichigawa, and Hiryu) in 11:55 [62] Kato defeated Mr. Yamashita in 14:09 with a Zero Point Slam [65] In the main event, UPJ Junior Heavyweight Champion Kozue defeated SHOGUN in 18:52 with a K-Drop to retain his title in his first defense [58] POST-SHOW NOTES & PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES Another night where Kinjo-jidai goes two-for-three in their matches, with Mr. Yamashita suffering defeat at the hands of Kato while Dustin LeFever got back in the win column with a victory over CLLM's Sugarskull. Katsuhiko Ishii picked up the win for The God Emperor's faction in the six-man match, pinning Hyotaro Ichigawa to put away Hall of the United Throne; junior heavyweight Hiryu made his debut as part of the loosely affiliated faction of heroes, and impressed the crowd during his short time in the ring. Yamashita and LeFever both took time at the post-show press conference to make comments about their outings on Night Seven of the tour, with LeFever claiming to have redeemed himself in The God Emperor's eyes and Yamashita begging forgiveness and another chance to best Kato. Álvaro Buey III continues his impressive showings in the ring with a win over Des Miller, and showed his confidence at the post-show press conference by calling out Bruiser Cassidy from Ignite Muscle Army for the tour finals; Cassidy showed up during the presser and accepted the challenge with a respectful handshake, but pulled Buey III in close for an intense staredown before nodding and walking away. "It feels good to be on a roll here in UPJ, and I'm glad I could continue my success here against a talent like Des Miller. I know Des well, and I know how much competing here in this storied promotion means to the both of us. I'm here to take on the best, and, if I may be so bold, I'm gonna lay down a challenge: I know who the big dogs are around here, and I know I can run with them. So, with that in mind, respectfully, I invite Bruiser Cassidy to meet me in the ring at the Blue Rhino Cup Finals." - Álvaro Buey III "Tonight, I redeemed myself in Kinjo's eyes, I know I did. Did you see me put that masked freak away? What was his name? Sugarstick? [laughs] What a goon. Those luchador chumps are helpless when The Fever takes hold." - Dustin LeFever of Kinjo-jidai "No excuses; tonight, I failed. Great Kinjo, forgive me for my failings. I will redeem myself, and I will do it against Kato. Allow me to make a believer of him, Great Kinjo, and I will not fail you again." - Mr. Yamashita of Kinjo-jidai "Hall of the United Throne has gained a member today in Hiryu, an exceptional junior heavyweight talent in the vein of other great masked heroes. Unfortunately, this addition did not prove to be the needed piece of the solution in dealing with Kinjo-jidai. We will never give up our fight for the honor of UPJ; we will not rest until Kinjo's reign of terror has been ended, and the black cloud he casts over our company has dissipated." - Ryotaro Naruto, leader of Hall of the United Throne Edited Sunday at 01:12 AM by falling_star 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falling_star Posted Tuesday at 01:01 AM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 01:01 AM BLUE RHINO CUP TOUR, NIGHT EIGHT In the opening contest, Talisman was victorious over Sugarskull and Utamara in 12:51 [57] In Blue Rhino Cup action from Block A, Smash 'n' Grab (Koji Yamada & Koma Kobiashi) defeated Hall of the United Throne's Vanguard Otojiro Ikina & Takanori Sakurai) in 11:45 [55] In junior heavyweight tag action, Hall of the United Throne (SHOGUN & Hiryu) defeated The Tokyo Tigers (Nakano Yuki & Ryuko Mishamoto) in 7:45 [51] In a match from the Blue Rhino Cup in Block A, Hall of the United Throne's Strength Through Honour (Honour Katsumoto & Strength Ogawa) defeated HardRockCity's Filipino Fire Power (Amado Ocampo & Apolinario) in 13:19 [54] Oda Yamawaki defeated HardRockCity's TOKI INK in 14:51 with a Tokyo Tower [67] In the eight-man main event, Kinjo-jidai (Kintaro Kinjo, Katsuhiko Ishii, Dustin LeFever, and Mr. Yamashita) defeated HardRockCity (Juro Deguchi, Cameron Cody, Junichi Matsuo, and Danger Asahara) in 16:01 when Kinjo pinned Asahara following a Blue Flash [76] POST-SHOW NOTES & PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES Blue Rhino Cup action returns on Night Eight of the tour, with Smash 'n' Grab and Strength Through Honour both picking up wins; with Round 3 in the books for Block A, and Round 3 for Block B up on Night Nine of the tour, current points standings in the Blue Rhino Cup look like this-- It could still be any team on the field that marches to victory and claims the 2021 Blue Rhino Cup. Pure MUSCLE could still become repeat winners, Strength Through Honour could claim their first UPJ accolade since 2017, and Kintaro Kinjo has promised consequences for failure among his cadre of followers; what could that mean for Waotaka Eda & Torture if they fail to claim the Cup? Kinjo also reiterated to Dustin LeFever at the post-show presser that he must redeem himself in the eyes of The God Emperor; LeFever had previously claimed his Night Seven win had redeemed him, but Kinjo stated that LeFever must win against the man who bested him, Ryotaro Naruto, at the Blue Rhino Cup finals or he will pay the ultimate price and be cast out of The God Emperor's kingdom. Also at the post-show presser, "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki and Juro Deguchi were at odds after Yamawaki claimed groups like HardRockCity were to blame for TOKI INK's shortcomings in the ring earlier in the evening; Yamawaki defeated the Deguchi ally in just under fifteen minutes. An angry Deguchi made it clear during his time in front of the press that he would not tolerate such slander from The Lone Dragon, and challenged him to a match at the Blue Rhino Cup finals. "I tire of having to take care of Kinjo-jidai's business personally. It seems that, unless I am in the ring, certain followers of The God Emperor seem to continually come up short. Mr. Yamashita fails to get the job done against Kato; Dustin LeFever claims to have redeemed himself in my eyes, but he lies to himself for he knows the path to redemption must go through Ryotaro Naruto. Therefore, must insist on a match at the Blue Rhino Cup finals: Dustin LeFever versus Ryotaro Naruto. Redeem yourself, or pay the ultimate price and be swiftly cast out of The God Emperor's kingdom." - "The God Emperor" Kintaro Kinjo, leader of Kinjo-jidai "I say it time and again: groups are for cowards. Where was TOKI INK's group when I was pinning his shoulders to the mat? Nowhere! But, after being proven a loser, he could retreat to the safety of his group in the locker room where strength in numbers does not equal victory in combat. Any group in UPJ may send anyone they want to face The Lone Dragon; just don't be surprised if they return to you charred by The Dragon's breath." - "The Lone Dragon" Oda Yamawaki "Oda Yamawaki talks a big game to the press and the media, but I tire of talking. You want to call me a coward? You want to breathe fire on me, Dragon? Blue Rhino Cup finals, meet me in the ring, and I'll show you that I'm fireproof!" - Juro Deguchi, leader of HardRockCity 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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