GCG: The Birthplace of Puroresu

gbasalmon · March 22, 2007

[B][CENTER][SIZE="5"]Special Pre-Respect Is Earned Newswire[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] GCG fans are still buzzing about the happenings from last night's show. First off all, we momentarily had new tag team champions, as Samoan Destruction, Inc. were victorious in their last appearance as a team in GCG, as Samoan Machine is on his way to the Burning Hammer. Obviously, they were immediately stripped (that's why they left the titles in the ring) and owner Hanshiro Furusawa made that clear at a conference call after the show. However, he did not say what his ruling would be concerning the future of the Tag Team titles, only saying that the goings on at Respect Is Earned would see new tag champs crowned before the end of the night. Also, the World Heavyweight Title scene was made a little clearer last night as Jimmy Cox was eliminated from contention for the belt until the end of the tour. Still, Furusawa assured everyone during his conference call that Cox would make his presence felt at Respect Is Earned. Cox's loss has paved the way for a triangle match at RIE, champ Hiroyasu Gakusha versus Toshiharu Hyobanshi versus GCG legend Dark Angel. It's virtually incomprehensible that Angel has never tasted gold in GCG, but he gets his first shot in 2007 to rectify that tomorrow. But, you can be sure that Gakusha does not want to be a footnote in Angel's history. Additionally, you can't forget about Toshiharu Hyobanshi, who may very well be the uncrowned champion. Respect Is Earned will be a great show, as every single GCG competitor will be in action in some way, shape, or form. Here are the matches that have been signed thus far. [LIST=1] [*]UK Dragon vs. Julian Watson [*]Shingen Miyazaki vs. SUKI [*]Jack Marlowe vs. Rhino Umaga [*]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Larry Wood [*][U]Openweight Championship[/U]: Takayuki 2000 (c) vs. Kiminobu Kuroki [*][U]World Heavyweight Championship[/U]: Hiroyasu Gakusha vs. Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Dark Angel[/LIST] These matches, plus Furusawa's announcement concerning the World Heavyweight Tag Team titles are waiting for anyone that comes to Gifu Arena tomorrow night!

gbasalmon · March 22, 2007

Respect Is Earned [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG] [B][SIZE="6"]Respect Is Earned[/SIZE] [SIZE="4"]Tuesday, Week 3, January 2007 Gifu Arena (Chubu) Attendance: 1,280 people[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] [COLOR="DimGray"][B][SIZE="4"]UK Dragon vs. Julian Watson[/SIZE][/B] Our one match especially for the people in attendance at Gifu was UK Dragon vs. Watson. Dragon has been very impressive in his short time in GCG, while Watson has kind of been treading water, waiting for a breakout match to really show his skills. This match may be the start of that, as Watson and Dragon put together a really solid match. Even though Watson features a more brawling style, he was able to keep up with Dragon's Super Junior stylings, which are still quite foreign to a GCG ring. Still, Dragon was just a hair better than Watson on this day, as he got Watson to succumb to the Dragon Drop, a huge reverse DDT. [B]Time: 10:40 Rating: C-[/B][/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShingenMiyazaki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Shingen Miyazaki vs. SUKI[/SIZE][/B] This opening match on the DVD release is a glimpse into the future of GCG. Miyazaki is generally accepted a a future world champion, and SUKI may very well be on the same career track after he gets a bit more experience under his belt. The match itself was a bit above average, and may have the potential to be looked at as a show stealer. SUKI got the advantage early with a few big suplexes and got a near fall with his Mountain SUKI splash mountain bomb. Miyazaki persevered though, and after SUKI missed a body splash, Miyazaki went on the offensive - for good. He began to work over the lower half of SUKI, and eventually got him to tap out to his Ankle Lock in a definite solid match. [B]Time: 12:43 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Hidekazu.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/QuickKickNakao.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Hidekazu vs. Quick Kick Nakao[/SIZE][/B] This match was a definite let down from the curtain jerker. Hidekazu did his best to bring a decent match out of Quick Kick Nakao, but it's becoming apparent that such a thing may not be possible. Hidekazu was by far the best of the two, as Nakao weakly stumbled his way through. Furusawa tried his best to make Nakao seem the plucky underdog, but it fell on deaf ears, and Hidekazu took the match with a flying body press, in a nod to his earlier days as a Super Junior star in BHOTWG. [B]Time: 8:35 Rating: D+[/B] Next up was Hanshiro Furusawa alone in the ring. He had the announcement concerning the World Heavyweight Tag Team titles, and it was as follows: The titles were indeed won and then immediately vacated by Samoan Destruction Inc. last night. Therefore, new champions need to be crowned. To do that, a one-night-only four team tournament will commence tonight, and the first match will be next - between Griffin & Bennett and Eagle Kawasawa & Jimmy Cox! [B]Rating: E+[/B] Next was Jimmy Cox and Eagle Kawasawa sitting in the locker room. Jimmy looked over towards Eagle and asked him simply, "Are you ready?" Eagle simply nodded and they both left for the ring. [B]Rating: D-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BarryGriffin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HenryBennett.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Tournament Griffin & Bennett vs. Jimmy Cox & Eagle Kawasawa[/SIZE][/B] Our first match in the impromptu tournament was a decent, if not great match. Cox and Kawasawa were definitely the class though, as they used their edge in speed and technique to triumph over the plucky but outgunned Griffin & Bennett. Cox got the pinfall with the Immortal Driver and Cox & Kawasawa advance to face whomever the other team might be in the finals of the tournament. [B]Time: 12:19 Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NambokuMakuda.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Namboku Makuda vs. Naonobu Murkami[/SIZE][/B] This match had a dual purpose - showcase Murkami's skills and bring Makuda along in his development as a worker. Murkami and Makuda don't really click in any way in the ring, so the match was underwhelming. Still, Murkami carried Makuda to a better technical match than we've seen thus far from Makuda, which was definitely a welcome sight. Still, Murkami was more than good enough to take Makuda down, and did so with his crisp textbook Belly to Belly Suplex. [B]Time: 14:19 Rating: D+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShotaroIkina.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/YasuhideTayama.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/StuartFerdinand.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Tournament Ikina & Tayama vs. Coleman & Ferdinand[/SIZE][/B] Next was the other half our the mini-tournament, which saw Ikina & Tayama take on the former champs, Coleman & Ferdinand. Even though the former champs tried their hardest, Shotaro Ikina is really in the zone right now and he took his partner Tayama along with him to the win in this contest. Ikina was by no means astounding, as usual, but he has the Ikina Driver at his disposal and used it on Ferdinand to win the match for his team and send them to the finals against Cox & Kawasawa later on tonight. [B]Time: 10:45 Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Jack Marlowe vs. Rhino Umaga[/SIZE][/B] This match was just thrown together because both of these gentleman had nothing else to do for our monthly supercard. If only all the throwaway matches could be this good. Jack & Rhino meshed beautifully and put together an exciting, hard-hitting, rocketbuster of a match. The only problem one could have with it is that they were so concerned about putting it all on the line that there wasn't that much selling taken place. Still, it was a great match, which Marlowe took with his Jungle Jack-Hammer to cap off the greatness. [B]Time: 17:34 Rating: B[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/LarryWood.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Larry Wood[/SIZE][/B] This thrown together match was not nearly as good as its predecessor, but by no means ugly. Wood is more than game, and Pistol Pete is, well, Pistol Pete. There's no mistaking his legendary skills, and this match was no exception. Wood was a willing foil to a Pistol Pete comeback, punctuated by a near fall with the Cattle Rush, after which Pistol Pete dropped the elbow pad and blasted Wood with the Pistol Whip Lariat to bring a decent match to an end. [B]Time: 8:44 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGOpenweight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Openweight Championship Kiminobu Kuroki vs. Takayuki 2000 (c)[/SIZE][/B] This match did not live up to its billing at all. If Kuroki wants to be perceived as a main eventer, he had better work on his skills before he lets his mouth write checks his talent can't cash. He and Takayuki did not click at all and put on an extremely underwhelming match which was about five minutes too long for Kuroki's liking, as he was clearly not himself after about the 15 minute mark. Still, Takayuki was able to carry Kuroki's tired carcass to a bearable match, which he himself won with the Persian Deathlock to retain his Openweight Championship. [B]Time: 20:49 Rating: C-[/B] After Kuroki left the ring, Takayuki slung the belt over his shoulder confidently, then called for a microphone. He proceeded to do his best to salvage the situation for Kuroki, praising his skill and fighting spirit. The crowd seemed to buy it, which was impressive for Takayuki to do. [B]Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGWorldHeavyweightTagTeam.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShotaroIkina.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/YasuhideTayama.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Tournament Finals Ikina & Tayama vs. Cox & Kawasawa[/SIZE][/B] This match did not go down as well for Cox & Kawasawa, the newest team in GCG, than the first match did. Their timing was off and their styles didn't seem to match at all, but they were still pretty impressive. They were definitely impressive enough to outlast Ikina & Tayama, who looked to be exhausted from their previous match. Even though they were easy pickings, it was still a newsworthy match, as Kawasawa & Cox became the new champions after a Vision Quest by Kawasawa on Tayama! [B]Time: 16:56 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/MasatakeHori.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KazuYoshizawa.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] After the match, Kawasawa & Cox are celebrating in the ring with announcer Masatake Hori, when GCG legend Kazu Yoshizawa comes out with two black bags. He climbs into the ring, shakes both of their hands and then takes two brand new World Heavyweight Tag Team Championship belts out of the bags. Kawasawa & Cox lift the belts high as the crowd cheers for them. Kawasawa looks extremely pleased, as it is his first taste of gold in his young career. [B]Rating: E+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGWorldHeavyweight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/DarkAngel.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B]World Heavyweight Championship Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Dark Angel vs. Hiroyasu Gakusha (c)[/B] Now this is more like it. Hyobanshi, Angel, and Gakusha combined forces for a main event that for once was worthy of that distinction. Toshiharu concentrated his assault on Gakusha directly, which allowed Angel to lay low for a good portion of the match. Angel used this to his advantage, as after Hyobanshi missed a Nova Burst spear, Angel hooked Gakusha with the Descent Into Hell and was a mere half-second away from becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. This close call seemed to energize Gakusha, as he fought back against Angel with the fire that we've come to know and love. He even fought off the assaults of Hyobanshi, who was still selling a shoulder injury after his failed Nova Burst. Gakusha eventually gained enough of an upper hand to drill Angel with the Gakusha Golden Bomb, and Hyobanshi was not able to break up the pinfall in time, allowing Gakusha to retain the title. [B]Time: 23:59 Rating: B[/B] For a short while after the pinfall, Gakusha celebrated in the ring, very happy with the fact that he had turned away two of the most feared competitors in GCG to retain his title. The last image seen was Gakusha holding the belt high as the show faded to black. [B]Rating: B-[/B] [B][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Final Show Rating: C+[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B] We took a bath financially on this show, but it was almost worth it, and I feel that the C+ may be selling the show short. Other than the Nakao/Hidekazu stinkfest, the matches were all top quality. Marlowe/Umaga was a revelation and that main event was finally main-event caliber. It may have been a mistake scheduling the event for Gifu, but it was a shot in the dark. The rest of our events will be in 1,000 capacity arenas, with the possible exception of Parade of Champions, which may or may not be moved to a smaller arena. A newswire will follow tomorrow with the card for next week and even a few matches already signed for Parade of Champions.

gbasalmon · March 23, 2007

Week 3 Newswire [CENTER][B][SIZE="6"]Week 3 Newswire[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] GCG has just completed its January supershow, Respect Is Earned, and there was some definite news to come out of it. Foremost is the fact that we have new World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, in the unlikely team of Eagle Kawasawa & Jimmy Cox. When you look at the two seperately, they don't seem to be a good match, but they meshed good enough to overtake Barry Griffin & Henry Bennett and Shotaro Ikina & Yasuhide Tayama. How are they planning to follow this up? Well, they're tagging with Hiroyasu Gakusha, who came out of Respect Is Earned still the World Heavyweight Champion. Together, the three will be taking on Toshiharu Hyobanshi, who will face Gakusha for the World Heavyweight Championship at Parade of Champions, and the team of Ikina & Tayama in this Monday's main event. In other action, Takayuki 2000 has earned a tuneup match after holding onto the Openweight Championship, and it will be against Julian Watson. After dispatching Kiminobu Kuroki at Respect Is Earned, it appears Takayuki's main challenger for the Openweight Championship may be Jack Marlowe, who is on a major role right now. Marlowe will attempt to keep his momentum going this Monday as he and Rhino Umaga reprise their show stealer from Respect Is Earned. Speaking of Rhino Umaga, it has already been announced that he will be competing for the World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with a partner of his choosing against whomever the champs are at Parade of Champions. GCG has also reached out to its partners around the globe to put on a match Monday. From WLW, Ketsueki Karasu is in and from new affiliate MAW in the States, Mainstream Hernandez is in. These two high flyers will team up to take on the new team of UK Dragon and Shingen Miyazaki. So, in a GCG ring, there will be competitors from four different countries - Mexico, the USA, the UK, and Japan. GCG will put on many other matches this Monday. The complete card is as follows: [B]Monday[/B][LIST=1] [*]Mainstream Hernandez (MAW) & Ketsueki Karasu (WLW) vs. UK Dragon & Shingen Miyazaki [*]Barry Griffin vs. Namboku Makuda [*]SUKI vs. Naonobu Murkami [*][I]Non-Title Match[/I]: Takayuki 2000 vs. Julian Watson [*]Jack Marlowe vs. Rhino Umaga [*]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Nathan Coleman [*]Hiroyasu Gakusha, Eagle Kawasawa, & Jimmy Cox vs. Toshiharu Hyobanshi, Shotaro Ikina, & Yasuhide Tayama[/LIST] [B]Already Signed For Parade Of Champions[/B][LIST=1] [*][I]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships[/I]: Rhino Umaga & ??? vs. Kawasawa & Cox (c) [*][I]Openweight Championship[/I]: Jack Marlowe vs. Takayuki 2000 (c) [*][I]World Heavyweight Championship[/I]: Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Hiroyasu Gakusha (c)[/LIST]

gbasalmon · March 25, 2007

[CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [SIZE="5"][B][CENTER]January 2007 Week 4 Show Asahikawa Community Hall (Hokkaido) 839 people[/CENTER][/B][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] No dark match this week, we start off with Eagle Kawasawa & Jimmy Cox in the ring, soaking in cheers as they celebrate being crowned new World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions at Respect Is Earned. As they are in the ring, a video plays of highlights from the tournament, focusing on their improbable rise from thrown together team to champions. [B]Rating: E+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/MainstreamHernandez.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BloodRaven.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShingenMiyazaki.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Hernandez & Karasu vs. Dragon & Miyazaki[/SIZE][/B] This was a matchup of two GCG newcomers versus UK Dragon and Miyazaki, who are grizzled GCG veterans by comparison. These four men from different corners of the globe put on an above average opening match, dazzling the Hokkaido fans with near falls and top notch high-flying action. Although he was not involve in the aerobatics, Miyazaki looked excellent tonight and shone above anyone else. Fittingly, he got the fall for his team, as he submitted MAW star Mainstream Hernandez with his patented Ankle Lock finisher. [B]Time: 9:20 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BarryGriffin.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NambokuMakuda.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Barry Griffin vs Namboku Makuda[/SIZE][/B] This match was the definition of a workmanlike effort. Nothing egregiously horrible about it, but there was nothing to make you sit up and take notice either. Griffin was his usual solid self, and Makuda is definitely on a slow climb to respectability. Griffin was the better man today, as he planted Makuda with a powerbomb, then quickly locked in a deathlock to gain the submission victory. [B]Time: 6:48 Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Backstage, somehow SUKI has gotten his hands on a microphone, and he is tearing down his opponent for tonight, Naonobu Murkami. Real good, SUKI, real good. Murkami may be falling on hard times right now, but he's still a former World Heavyweight Champion. [B]Rating: E-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]SUKI vs. Naonobu Murkami[/SIZE][/B] In this match, Murkami showed exactly why he is a former champion, as he taught SUKI a few things about the exchange rate of boastful talk. Murkami tied SUKI in knots the whole match and barely allowed SUKi any time to get in his signature technical-based offense. In the end, Murkami finished him off with a textbook Belly to Belly Suplex. [B]Time: 7:57 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] In anticipation of Takayuki 2000's match coming up next, Kiminobu Kuroki commandered a cameraman backstage and commenced telling him how Respect Is Earned was a fluke and next week, he'll show everyone in GCG exactly how super "Super K" really is. [B]Rating: C[/B] Sure enough, Hori & Furusawa announced the next week, Takayuki and Kuroki will have a rematch, once again for the Openweight Championship! [B]Rating: D-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JulianWatson.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Non-Title Match Takayuki 2000 vs. Julian Watson[/SIZE][/B] The Canadian Watson, who has been on the sidelines more often than not lately is receiving some attention from other organizations lately, namely INSPIRE and BHOTWG. This match may have been a chance for Watson to show to GCG management why they should want to keep him. In that respect, it was a largely decent showing. Nothing awesome, but a solid effort. Takayuki still emerged victorious, but Watson got in some decent offense and by no means looked overmatched. Still, the Persian Deathlock ended the contenst and sent Takayuki on to next week and another meeting with Kuroki. [B]Time: 15:51 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Some highlights were shown of Jack Marlowe & Rhino Umaga's excellent match from Respect Is Earned. This would have went over so much better with the Hokkaido crowd if Umaga was as well respected as Marlowe is. Also, if this show was in Chugoku, they would have eaten it up, as they absolutely love Marlowe there. [B]Rating: E+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Jack Marlowe vs. Rhino Umaga[/SIZE][/B] It's entirely possible that at Respect Is Earned, these two gentlemen caught lightning in a bottle, because this match was not nearly as good as that outing. They still meshed beautifully, but it missed the X-factor that made that match special. Marlowe yet again took the victory with his Jungle Jack-Hammer and further cemented his status as the number one contender for the Openweight Championship. [B]Time: 13:47 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HanshiroFurusawa.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Up next was a stand-up by Hanshiro Furusawa, who said that our next competitor, Pistol Pete Hall, might be treading water lately, but he's just laying low, waiting for the opportunity to pounce and show his dominance. [B]Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Nathan Coleman[/SIZE][/B] Hall's opponent was Nathan Coleman, who up until just recently was one-half of the tag champs. Therefore, he is no slouch, but Pistol Pete still made him look foolish by completely destroying him in the ring. He battered him around and finally made him succumb to the way all of Pistol Pete's matches end, the Pistol Whip Lariat. [B]Time: 11:40 Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/DarkAngel.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Up next were some higlights from the main event as Respect Is Earned, which saw Hiroyasu Gakusha retain his World Heavyweight Championship against the challenges of Toshiharu Hyobanshi AND Dark Angel. [B]Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShotaroIkina.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/YasuhideTayama.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Backstage, Hyobanshi is talking to his partners for the night, Ikina & Tayama. He tells them that even though he didn't take the pinfall last week at Respect Is Earned, he didn't like being on the losing end, and he damn sure wasn't going to be again tonight. He implored them to bring their best efforts then walked away, leaving them to contemplate his words. [B]Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShotaroIkina.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/YasuhideTayama.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Gakusha, Kawasawa, & Cox vs. Hyobanshi, Ikina & Tayama[/SIZE][/B] This match was an unwelcome return to form, as it was another underwhelming main event. Kawasawa & Cox just aren't over enough yet to carry their own weight and Ikina & Tayama may have just dragged down Hyobanshi. After all, it was Tayama who took the loss, as he was taken out by a Gakusha Golden Bomb to end the match and the show. [B]Time: 20:20 Rating: C[/B] [B][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Final Show Rating: D+[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B] Seems like we did a bit too much behind-the-scenes and microphone work this show, as the fans in Hokkaido absolutely hated the lack of wrestling. Also, the wrestling they did see what underwhelming at best. We need to up the quality of the shows and cut out what isn't working. What definitely is working is Pistol Pete Hall. His match with Coleman was the highlight of the night and he shined in his usual before-the-main-event slot. Maybe it's time to add him to said main event...

gbasalmon · March 25, 2007

[B][CENTER][SIZE="5"]Week 4 Newswire[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] Suffice it to say, the Monday show this week was a bit underwhelming. The fans in Hokkaido deserved a better effort from everyone involved, and GCG will definitely try to do better next time we return to Japan's Great White North. But, onwards and upwards, as the New Fire Burning Tour moves on to Kanto and invades the Ibaraki Community Hall. The main event for that show will not feature the World Heavyweight Champion, but it will still be one hell of a matchup. Toshiharu Hyobanshi has already been tapped to face Gakusha for the title at Parade of Champions, but one of GCG's old masters, Pistol Pete Hall, wants to test out Toshi before he gets his shot. Will the master of the Nova Bombs pass the test, or will the Pistol Whip Lariat change Hyobanshi and GCG's destiny? Gakusha will be in action at Ibaraki, though, as he faces one-half of the World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Jimmy Cox. These two teamed up last week and were part of the substandard main event and word is Gakusha doesn't take too kindly to bad showings like that and challenged Cox to a match to retain his honor. Whether Cox is up to the challenge or not is definitely something to look out for. Another match that is impossible to overlook is a rematch from Respect Is Earned, as yet again Kiminobu Kuroki will look to take the Openweight Championship off of Takayuki 2000. One man who will be extremely interested in the results of that match will be Jack Marlowe, who is slated to get his shot at Parade of Champions. Before that happens, he himself will have to outlast Shotaro Ikina, which is no easy task. In other news, word has come down that GCG has obtained the services of WLW star The Great Hisato for a one-time-only appearance. However, the date of that appearance has not been set, so it is not known whether he will appear tonight, or at some time in the future, perhaps even at Parade of Champions. Could he be Rhino Umaga's mystery partner, or does he have other plans? What we do know is the card for this Monday, which is as follows: [LIST=1][*]Eagle Kawasawa vs. Mainstream Hernandez [*]Naonobu Murkami vs. Rhino Umaga [*]Jack Marlowe vs. Shotaro Ikina [*][I]Openweight Championship:[/I] Takayuki 2000 (c) vs. Kiminobu Kuroki [*][I]Non-Title Match:[/I] Hiroyasu Gakusha vs. Jimmy Cox [*]Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Pistol Pete Hall[/LIST] [I][B]OOC: As always, any predictions are welcome...[/B][/I]

Tigerkinney · March 25, 2007

[B]Predictions [/B] [B]Eagle Kawasawa[/B] vs. Mainstream Hernandez [B]Naonobu Murkami[/B] vs. Rhino Umaga [B]Jack Marlowe[/B] vs. Shotaro Ikina Openweight Championship: [B]Takayuki 2000[/B] (c) vs. Kiminobu Kuroki Non-Title Match: [B]Hiroyasu Gakusha[/B] vs. Jimmy Cox Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. [B]Pistol Pete Hall[/B]

MrOnu · March 26, 2007

A step-back in the grades, but I think it was more of getting things in motion for Parade of Champions than putting a solid show this week. Maybe Tag matchs are not the way to go for your main events also. A bit disappointed by the Marlowe/Umaga rematch, I had higher expectations like you.

gbasalmon · March 26, 2007

NFB Tour, Week 1, February 2007 [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [SIZE="5"][B][CENTER]6th Show of the New Fire Burning Tour Monday, Week 1, February 2007 Ibaraki Community Hall (Kanto) 1,000 people (SELL-OUT!)[/CENTER][/B][/SIZE] [COLOR="DimGray"][B][SIZE="4"]Hernandez & Griffin vs. Umaga & Tayama[/SIZE][/B] This match was a test-run for Umaga's mystery partner search. He & Tayama do not mesh that well as a team, but they still put on a decent effort against the unorthodox team of Barry Griffin & Mainstream Hernandez. Hernandez is impressing in his first appearance in Japan, as he contributed to some seriously exciting spots in this match, namely a Super Kick on Tayama which very nearly won the match. However, Umaga was destined to get the pinfall, as he later turned Hernandez inside out with a huge Rhino Charge for the victory. [B]Time: 11:31 Rating: C-[/B] [/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/MainstreamHernandez.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Mainstream Hernandez vs. Eagle Kawasawa[/SIZE][/B] After the previous bout, Hernandez just stayed out to face one-half of the tag champs, Eagle Kawasawa for the first match on the DVD release. Surprisingly, they just didn't click, which is disappointing given their exciting styles. Still, it was a decent match, but definitely nothing to get overly excited about. Kawasawa got the win with his Vision Quest enzuigiri. [B]Time: 11:50 Rating: D[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Naonobu Murkami vs. Rhino Umaga[/SIZE][/B] Umaga was in action yet again, this time in singles competition against GCG legend Murkami, who is newly in demand all around Japan. Umaga showed Murkami why he is one of the stars to watch as he used his brutally efficient offense to systematically wear down Naonobu, who fell victim to a crushing Rhino Charge to end this match. Murkami put in a good showing, though, and may have piqued Umaga's interest in him as a tag partner. [B]Time: 13:39 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShotaroIkina.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Jack Marlowe vs. Shotaro Ikina[/SIZE][/B] Jack Marlowe is on a huge roll to start off 2007, and Ikina was just a deer in the headlights this match. Marlowe had control for most of the match, but to his credit, Ikina played a good foil to Marlowe's intense offense. Marlowe was the better man, though, and gained the win with his Jungle Jack-Hammer to finish off Ikina, who was just starting to fade, so it's a good thing the match ended when it did. [B]Time: 17:17 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGOpenweight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Openweight Championship Match Kiminobu Kuroki vs. Takayuki 2000 (c)[/SIZE] [/B] Jack Marlowe decided to stay at ringside to take in this match and chime in on the DVD commentary, and he saw Kuroki came into this match a ball of fire, assaulting Takayuki with everything in his arsenal. To his credit, Takayuki was a true champion, withstanding everything "Super K" had to dish out. The turning point came when Kuroki thought he had things under control and took too long to set up a Kuroki Krush attempt. Takayuki blocked it with his leg, then nailed Kuroki with a stiff Takayuki Attack, which stunned Kuroki enough that Takayuki quickly rolled him up and got the pinfall victory. Kuroki stood fuming as Takayuki got his hand raised by ref Shunko Nakada. [B]Time: 13:54 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Kuroki cannot contain himself, and attacks Takayuki, dragging him to his feet and nailing him with a particularly stiff Kuroki Krush, then immediately locking in the Mercury Sleeper. Having seen enough, Jack Marlowe runs in from the announce table, where he was watching the match from, and breaks the hold by pulling Kuroki off of Takayuki. Kuroki stands up, thinks about hitting Marlowe, but instead leaves the ring as the crowd boos. Stumbling to his feet, Takayuki sees Jack Marlowe standing in the ring. They do not say anything to each other, but simply exchange an ice-cold glare. [B]Rating: E+ for Kuroki's attack, D- for Marlowe's save, C for the staredown[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Hiroyasu Gakusha vs. Jimmy Cox[/SIZE][/B] After last week's 6-man tag main event, word is that Gakusha was unhappy with Cox's effort and challenged him to this match. Gakusha must have had to be happy with Cox's effort against him, because together they put together a solid match. It was not main-event material, but it was a solid lead-in. Cox very nearly got Gakusha hooked in the Immortal Driver, but Hiroyasu went dead weight, then reared back and nailed Cox with a huge Gakusha Strike. This gave him an opening to start hitting some of his trademark offesne, which included even a spectacular Plunging Gakusha Striket to the outside as Cox tried to create some seperation between the two of them. This gave Gakusha enough momentum to pull off the Gakusha Golden Bomb, which he did outside the ring. He rolled Cox back into the ring, then went for the cover, which he did so successfully. [B]Time: 18:13 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] After the match, Hiroyasu helped Jimmy to his feet and held his hand up, in a show of respect for the match they had just been through. They shook hands and left as equals. [B]Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Pistol Pete Hall[/SIZE][/B] Pistol Pete Hall is undeniably a GCG legend. However, he has not tasted gold yet in GCG, so he understandably wanted to find out first hand what Toshiharu Hyobanshi was all about. Hyobanshi was all to happy to show Pistol Pete exactly how dangerous and tough he can be inside the squared circle, and set out to do so by taking all of Pistol Pete's offense with barely a flinch and even ducking underneath a Pistol Whip Lariat, which is almost never done. Pistol Pete put so much force behind the attempt that he fell to one knee, which allowed Toshi to nail Pistol Pete with a Side Swipe, which actually busted Pistol Pete open hardway. This only served to enrage Pistol Pete, and he went on the offensive once again, and nearly decapitated Toshi with a Pistol Whip Lariat. Amazingly, Toshi kicked out, which is the first time anyone has kicked out of the big Texan's finisher since he has returned from surgery. Pistol Pete was so stunned by this that he was easy pickings for a Nova Bomb Redux, which gained Toshi the victory. [B]Time: 21:56 Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Toshiharu Hyobanshi understandably started celebrating after the match. He got on the top turnbuckle and pumped his fist to the delight of the crowd. Pistol Pete came up behind him and put one hand on his shoulder. Toshi turned around and hopped down. Pistol Pete extended his hand for a handshake, which Toshi took. Pistol Pete held onto the handshake as Toshi tried to turn away. He turned Toshi back towards him and floored Toshi with a short-arm Pistol Whip Lariat. The show ended with Pistol Pete standing over Toshi as Toshi was barely holding onto consciousness. [B]Rating: C- for the handshake, B- for the attack[/B] [B][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Final Show Rating: C+[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B] This was a much more promising show that last week in Hokkaido. There was more of a focus on the in-ring action, but we still advanced a few more of the main storylines going into Parade of Champions. Rhino Umaga started the process of looking for a partner to take on Kawasawa & Cox with, Takayuki and Kuroki came to blows after the match, and Marlowe insinuated himself directly. Lastly, Pistol Pete and Hyobanshi put on an excellent main event, punctuated beautifully by the post-match Pistol Whip Lariat. Next week should prove very interesting, as the picture for Parade of Champions becomes even clearer.

gbasalmon · March 26, 2007

February 2007, Week 1, Newswire [CENTER][B][SIZE="5"]February 2007, Week 1 Newswire [/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] GCG is buzzing about the actions of Pistol Pete Hall at the close of this week's show. The normally mild-mannered Texan decided that he wanted to give Toshiharu Hyobanshi a little taste of what he could do to him, and Pistol Pete can be sure that the message was sent, as Hyobanshi was none too happy about the whole situation once he regained his senses and got back to the locker room. They did not have a confrontation, but you can be sure Hyobanshi will keep this incident in the back of his mind for the next time the two meet. Pistol Pete will continue his crusade next week as he looks to beat some respect into Nathan Coleman, who has been focusing more on his DAVE responsibilities lately and letting his GCG workrate slip. As for Hyobanshi's opponent at Parade of Champions, he had a respectable match with Jimmy Cox this week, but still is not quite hitting his stride as a feared champion. If he doesn't pick up his game, he is in danger of losing the support of GCG management, as there are some rumblings that Hyobanshi is gaining support with management, as he's seen as being more marketable than Gakusha. Marketability is deadly important for all of GCG right now, as the whole promotion is again in danger of going under financially. After this New Fire Burning tour, it is entirely possible that GCG will have a completely new look, as many wrestlers may be making too much to validate their continued employment. But that's enough doom and gloom for now, as we still have four more shows on this tour and one supercard to go! Next Monday's show is headlined by a huge tag-team match. The fans at Hofu Arena in Chukogu will bear witness to Jack Marlowe & Toshiharu Hyobanshi teaming up to take on the team of Hiroyasu Gakusha & Kiminobu Kuroki. This match features the two hottest superstars in GCG right now versus the World Heavyweight Champion and his regular tag-team partner, who are former World Heavyweight Tag Team Champions themselves. When you throw in Marlowe & Kuroki's interaction this week, things should be quite interesting. The Openweight Champion, Takayuki 2000, has earned himself a tune-up match, as he'll face Mainstream Hernandez, who is making his last GCG appearance next week before he returns to America and his MAW & CZCW dates. Hernandez is definitely turning heads in Japan, but he'll have to employ some of the same fire and determination that allowed him to win the Rip Chord Invitational last year to have a chance to take down the master of the Persian Deathlock. The other main match on the card features the tag champs, Eagle Kawasawa & Jimmy Cox, up against Barry Griffin & Henry Bennett for the World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. It would be an upset if Griffin & Bennett left Chukogu with the titles, but stranger things have happened. One more event taking place on this card that we would be remiss to forget is the return to a GCG ring of Dark Angel, who came down with a case of some sort of food poisoning after Respect Is Earned and is just now feeling well enough to compete. He'll be taking on the globetrotting superstar UK Dragon. The total card is as follows: [LIST=1][*][I]Non-Title Match[/I]: Takayuki 2000 vs. Mainstream Hernandez [*]Rhino Umaga & Naonobu Murkami vs. SUKI & Hidekazu [*][I]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Match[/I]: Kawasawa & Cox (c) vs. Griffin & Bennett [*]Dark Angel vs. UK Dragon [*]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Nathan Coleman [*]Hyobanshi & Marlowe vs. Gakusha & Kuroki[/LIST]

gbasalmon · March 28, 2007

NFB Tour, Week 2, February 2007 [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [SIZE="5"][B][CENTER]7th Show on the New Fire Burning Tour Monday, Week 2, February 2007 Hofu Arena (Chukogu) 788 people[/CENTER][/B][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/MainstreamHernandez.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Non-Title Match Takayuki 2000 vs. Mainstream Hernandez[/SIZE][/B] In his last GCG appearance before going back to America, Mainstream put on another great effort, this time falling to Takayuki 2000. Given Mainstream's complete lack of name recognition in Japan, his showings were extremely impressive and additionally, he picked up Japanese in the short time he was in the Land of the Rising Sun. Takayuki was no slouch himself, and put away Mainstream with the Persian Deathlock. [B]Time: 13:55 Rating: C-[/B] After the match, Takayuki asked for a microphone and took the opportunity to thank Marlowe for his help last week, but stressed that next week at Parade of Champions, he's going to bring everything possible to retain his title, and he hopes Marlowe does that same. Also he wished Marlowe luck in his match tonight, which was mighty nice of him... [B]Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Hidekazu.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]SUKI & Hidekazu vs. Umaga & Murkami[/SIZE][/B] Hidekazu returned to a GCG ring for the first time in nearly a month to team with SUKI to take on Umaga & Murkami. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well at all for Hidekazu, as he was the one who took the loss for his team, as he fell victim to a particularly nasty Rhino Charge. Rhino and Murkami got along well enough this match, and Rhino may have found his partner. [B]Time: 13:21 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGWorldHeavyweightTagTeam.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BarryGriffin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HenryBennett.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Match Kawasawa & Cox vs. Griffin & Bennett[/SIZE][/B] Fittingly, this match followed up Umaga's tag match. It was not nearly as good though, as Kawasawa & Cox are still quite clunky as a team, which does not bode well for their future. They were still better than Griffin & Bennett, who fell as a team when Cox locked in a Immortal Driver on Bennett and nearly caved in his spinal column with it. [B]Time: 13:58 Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/DarkAngel.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Also returning to GCG this week is Dark Angel, who got his very own promotional video, recounting his exploits worldwide, which do not include any gold in GCG quite yet. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/DarkAngel.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Dark Angel vs. UK Dragon[/SIZE][/B] Can you say show stealer? I know you could. This match was simply awesome. Angel is Angel, and Dragon is no slouch either, so the talent in the ring necessitated awesomeness. The Chukogu crowd was treated to a Super Junior masterpiece, which saw many quick exchanges and near falls that built to a crescendo of Angel hitting the Descent Into Hell for an impressive ending to an impressive match. [B]Time:16:50 Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Pistol Pete Hall vs. Nathan Coleman[/SIZE][/B] This match was not as good as their encounter a few weeks ago, but it was by no means awful. Pistol Pete returned to his winning ways by pretty much dominating Coleman and making him fall to the Pistol Whip Lariat. Pistol Pete is surely making a statement that he's not happy with being left out of the World Heavyweight Championship picture and come the next tour, he will come after it with a force. [B]Time: 11:35 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] As Pistol Pete made his way back to the locker room, he locked eyes with Hiroyasu Gakusha, who was making his way to ringside for the main event. Pistol Pete eyed him up and down, but it was Gakusha who moved away first, showing that he may very well have been intimidated by Pistol Pete. [B]Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Gakusha & Kuroki vs. Hyobanshi & Marlowe[/SIZE][/B] This match was both a preview of Parade of Champions and a throwback to last week. Gakusha & Hyobanshi are on a collision course for next week, and Kuroki's assault on Takayuki was stopped by Marlowe, which obviously didn't sit too well with "Super K". The match was definitely main event worthy, as the Hofu Arena crowd got the best of all four men. Hyobanshi & Marlowe were a strong unit, and Gakusha & Kuroki have a history of tag team success themselves. Surprisingly, Marlowe was all set to get the win for his team when he gave Kuroki the Jungle Jack-Hammer, but Hyobanshi pulled Marlowe off of Kuroki so he could give Kuroki his own finisher, the Nova Bomb Redux. This double finisher madness put Kuroki down for the count. [B]Time: 18:37 Rating: B[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Marlowe took extreme exception to Hyobanshi stealing his pin. He backed Hyobanshi into a corner, even pointing a finger in his chest. Hyobanshi tried to reason with Marlowe at first, but had to defend himself with a big punch to Marlowe's head. Instead of letting this degenerate into a brawl, ref Shunko Nakada cleared Gakusha & Kuroki out of the ring and called for the ring bell to start an impromptu match! [B]Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Jack Marlowe vs. Toshiharu Hyobanshi[/SIZE][/B] This unscheduled madness was a complete brawl, with both men sparing nothing. It quickly degenerated into a ruleless schmozz, though, and ref Nakada was forced to count out both men after they did not make it back in the ring. The crowd was not happy about that development at all. [B]Time: 6:43 Rating: C [CENTER][SIZE="5"]Final Show Rating: C[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] I wonder what the rating would have been without the Marlowe/Hyobanshi match. They both have higher popularity in Chukogu than anywhere else in Japan, so I thought I'd try to capitalize. Unfortunately, I may have damaged that popularity with the non-finish. Neither man should have taken a loss, so maybe the match just shouldn't have happened. Other than that, it was a really good show. The original main event was awesome, and so was the UK Dragon/Dark Angel match, which might just find its way onto next week's card also, and maybe even Parade of Champions. We're motoring towards the end of this tour, and things seem to be picking up nicely.

MrOnu · March 29, 2007

Mainstream's doing great so far, I think he'll be back for the next tour, people are beginning to like him. Whoever is the champ after Parade of the Champions will have to be in a good shape and spirit for the next tour, Pistol Pete isnt going to go easy on them ! Too bad for the extra match as you finally had a great tag main event.

foolinc · March 30, 2007

I'm glad to see that Mainstream has been such a success with you and that you've restarted your GCG diary. I can't believe I haven't commented on this one till now, but anyway great work so far. Can't wait for the next show.

gbasalmon · March 31, 2007

Thanks for the kind comments, guys. I've been slacking with this diary the past few days, as I've been messing around with a Burning Hammer save game (which I think might be some sort of sacrilege), but I should have the latest newswire and show report up some time tomorrow. There are three more shows left on the tour, then I'm not quite sure what I'll do in the inbetween time...

Tigerkinney · March 31, 2007

[quote=gbasalmon;218328]Thanks for the kind comments, guys. I've been slacking with this diary the past few days, as I've been messing around with a Burning Hammer save game (which I think might be some sort of sacrilege), but I should have the latest newswire and show report up some time tomorrow. There are three more shows left on the tour, then I'm not quite sure what I'll do in the inbetween time...[/quote] Even though your roster will be sitting around twiddling their thumbs during the off season...there is always news to report on such as hiring and firings. Another option of course is always reporting on what is going on outside of GCG, it's something I'm considering doing for my Burning Hammer Diary when I come to my off-season, like a sort of half year review. And as ever, it doesn't really need saying, but I'll say it anyway....keep up the good work.

gbasalmon · March 31, 2007

[QUOTE=Tigerkinney;218445]Even though your roster will be sitting around twiddling their thumbs during the off season...there is always news to report on such as hiring and firings. Another option of course is always reporting on what is going on outside of GCG, it's something I'm considering doing for my Burning Hammer Diary when I come to my off-season, like a sort of half year review. And as ever, it doesn't really need saying, but I'll say it anyway....keep up the good work.[/QUOTE] I think I am going to do a little bit of both. I'll tackle what's happened in the Japanese scene during the game (a fairly significant title change has happen in WLW the day before Parade of Champions) and also do a report card segment where I rate current progress. This also might help me with the regrettably unavoidable post-tour roster cuts. Anywho, the week 3 show will be up in an hour or so, and Parade of Champions will be shined up nice for tomorrow...

gbasalmon · March 31, 2007

NFB Tour, Week 3, February 2007 [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][CENTER][SIZE="4"]7th Show on the New Fire Burning Tour Monday, Week 3, February 2007 Doshisha Athletic Center (Kinki) 1,000 people (SELLOUT!)[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]SUKI vs. Kiminobu Kuroki[/SIZE][/B] Right now, Kuroki is on the outside looking in at the Openweight Championship, and took out his frustrations on SUKI, who didn't quite know what hit him this match, but still put in a decent effort. SUKI tried to slow down the pace a bit, but Kuroki tore into him and SUKI couldn't stand up to the assault. Kuroki got the pinfall victory with the Kuroki Krush. [B]Time: 12:56 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Jimmy Cox vs. Nathan Coleman[/SIZE][/B] Cox is on his way to Parade of Champions as one-half of the tag champs, and Coleman definitely knows how that feels. Cox was in control for the lion's share of this match, showing Coleman exactly what it's like to be a dominant gaijin in GCG. Cox dispatched Coleman with the Immortal Driver to end this match and send Coleman home in defeat. [B]Time: 17:31 Rating: C[/B] Furusawa shows up on camera next, putting over Kawasawa & Cox together as a dominant force and if they want to, they can dominate the tag scene for as long as they want to. [B]Rating: E+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BarryGriffin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HenryBennett.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Griffin & Bennett vs. Umaga & Murkami[/SIZE][/B] Umaga & Murkami got a tune-up match for tomorrow night, as they faced our resident tune-up team, Griffin & Bennett. As usual, they tried their best but just weren't good enough to get the victory. Perhaps if they got over individually, this team might be money some time down the road, but they just don't have any juice behind them at all right now. Umaga got the win for his team with the Rhino Charge, as he turned Barry Griffin inside out with it. [B]Time: 7:51 Rating: C[/B] Next up we had a short music video, hyping up the short history of Kawasawa & Cox. Nice work by the production department... [B]Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/TheGreatHisato.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Eagle Kawasawa vs. The Great Hisato[/SIZE][/B] This match was a bit of a shocker, as Kawasawa came out as flat as a pancake. This allowed Hisato to gain a lot of momentum right from the onset. Kawasawa never really got on track, and Hisato controlled the action throughout. He dictated a pace that was a bit too quick for Kawasawa on this day, and dispatched Kawasawa with his Mystic Dragon Wave roll-through German suplex. [B]Time: 16:08 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Hiroyasu Gakusha vs. Takayuki 2000[/SIZE][/B] This match was quite excellent. The two singles champions in GCG put on quite a show, and allowed everyone to see exactly why they are in the position they are in. Gakusha brought his stiff, brutal form of offense, while Takayuki's offense is tempered a bit more with technique than Gakusha. Still, when Gakusha upped the intensity, Takayuki was more than able to keep up, until the end of the match. Gakusha started unloading with extremely stiff Gakusha Strikes, which wore down Takayuki's defenses enough that he was able to hook both of Takayuki's arms and nail him with the Gakusha Golden Bomb to get the win. [B]Time: 18:49 Rating: B-[/B] Hanshiro Furusawa would not let Gakusha leave the ring, as he hopped right in and asked him what his thoughts were about tomorrow's match with Toshiharu Hyobanshi. Gakusha said that he just showed everyone exactly what he can do inside the ring and that Hyobanshi had better have been watching, because the same exact thing will happen to him tomorrow night. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/DarkAngel.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Pistol Pete Hall vs Dark Angel[/SIZE][/B] When two legends like these two get into the ring together, you should expect greatness, and that's exactly what came out of this match. Pistol Pete battered Angel around the ring, who played the undersized underdog quite well. Angel got a good deal of his offense in also, even dusting off the Falling Angel Moonsault, which very nearly won the match. Pistol Pete kicked out at 2.9 though, and started his signature strong comeback. He no-sold a enzuiguri, scooped Angel over his shoulder, planted him with the Cattle Rush, then waited for Angel to stumble back to his feet, lowering his elbow pad. When Angel finally got to his feet, he got sent right back down with the Pistol Whip Lariat, which as usual, won the match for Pistol Pete. [B]Time: 13:49 Rating: B+[/B] After the match, Masatake Hori lumbered into the ring and stuck a microphone in Pistol Pete's face. Pete, being no wordsmith especially in Japanese, stammered out something about respect and getting what's his. Hori quizzically looked at Pistol Pete, then left the ring. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Jack Marlowe[/SIZE][/B] Now this is what happens when you advertise a match taking place and deliver an actual winner. This was 100% better than last week's schmozz and gave both men an excellent match on their resumes. They again meshed quite well and traded blows with a frenzied intensity that excited the crowd to no end. Marlowe very nearly got the win, but Hyobanshi slipped out of the Jungle Jack-Hammer, spun around Marlowe, planted him with a Nova Burst, then followed it up with a Nova Bomb Redux to cap of a great wrestling show tonight sending us to Parade of Champions in style. [B]Time: 22:37 Rating: B[/B] The crowd was buzzing as Hiroyasu Gakusha made his way back out to ringside. He climbed into the ring, laid the World Heavyweight Championship down on the ground between the two of them, then went nose to nose with Hyobanshi as the show faded to black. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][SIZE="5"][B]Final Show Rating: B[/B][/SIZE][/CENTER] Now that is how you build excitement for a supershow. We've finally hit on how to do it - simply, put together our main eventers in the same ring and let them fight to a decisive conclusion. We only have three matches signed for Parade of Champions, but I think we've added some juice to those matchups tonight and we'll fill in the rest of the show with some great undercard matchups. We're on the right track, I think...

gbasalmon · April 3, 2007

Parade of Champions [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCC_birthplace.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="5"][CENTER]GCG Parade of Champions Wednesday, Week 3, February 2007 Toyama Hall (Chubu) 1,000 people (SELLOUT!)[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B] [COLOR="DimGray"][B]Larry Wood vs. Namboku Makuda[/B] Two of our underutilized stars in GCG hooked up in the dark match. Wood did his best to make Makuda look awesome, and he did a bang-up job of it. Wood beat on Makuda the whole match, but was an excellent foil for Makuda's comeback, which was punctuated by an impressive Dangerous Brainbuster from Makuda for the win. [B]Time: 7:07 Rating: C[/B][/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BloodRaven.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/UKDragon.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Ketsueki Karasu vs. UK Dragon[/SIZE][/B] The first match for the actual DVD release was the one of the last GCG appearances for Ketsueki Karasu against another WLW star, UK Dragon, who is doing decent in his first GCG exposure. The match itself was a bit underwhelming, actually, as Karasu and Dragon didn't really bring their A-games tonight. Dragon, as he is the one who is actually on tour with GCG, got the win with his Dragon Drop. [B]Time: 13:50 Rating: D+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/BarryGriffin.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HenryBennett.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/StuartFerdinand.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Griffin & Bennett vs. Coleman & Ferdinand[/SIZE][/B] The former tag champs took on our designated jobber team, Griffin & Bennett. Luckily, Bennett made it back from America, as he has been working a few dates for MAW which allowed GCG to get Mainstream Hernandez. He actually found his way into the Rip Chord Invitational, but lost in the first round. Still, his spot in GCG is cemented, as he took the loss in this match when Coleman planted him with the Pioneer Twist to perhaps start their climb back up the tag team ladder. [B]Time: 12:57 Rating: C[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/SUKI.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ShingenMiyazaki.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]SUKI vs. Shingen Miyazaki[/SIZE][/B] This match featured two men who are the future of GCG. They both work an extremely technical, methodical style, so this match was sure to impress. Miyazaki and SUKI traded holds for the first five minutes or so of the match, until SUKI missed a kick in the corner and rapped his leg on the post. Miyazaki took the golden opportunity to start working on the leg, and ended the job with an Ankle Lock to cement his spot as the top up and coming star in GCG. [B]Time: 8:39 Rating: C+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGWorldHeavyweightTagTeam.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/EagleKawasawa.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JimmyCox.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/RhinoUmaga.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/NaonobuMurkami.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Match Kawasawa & Cox vs. Umaga & Murkami[/SIZE][/B] This match put the thrown together team of Kawasawa & Cox versus the thrown together team of Umaga & Murkami for the tag belts. The match itself was a very solid performance, which saw Umaga & Murkami slowly assert their dominance over Kawasawa & Cox as the match went on. Umaga & Murkami are both former multiple time tag champs, so they know their way around having a partner better than Kawasawa & Cox. Murkami had the honor of getting the fall for his team, as he took Kawasawa up and over with the Belly to Belly Suplex to gain the titles for Umaga & Murkami. [B]Time: 21:39 Rating: C[/B] After the match, we had much the same scene as when Kawasawa & Cox won the belts. Masatake Hori hopped into the ring and interviewed Umaga & Murkami quickly to get their thoughts on the win. After they were done with the pleasantries, Kazu Yoshizawa came out and presented them with the tag belts. [B]Rating: E+[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/KiminobuKuroki.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Hidekazu.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Kiminobu Kuroki vs. Hidekazu[/SIZE][/B] Kuroki, visibly upset lately at being squeezed out of the Openweight Championship scene, took it out on Hidekazu for the whole duration of the match. There was nary a moment when Kuroki was not in control, as he dictated everything that took place during the match. The pace was brisk, but still a bit methodical, as Kuroki wore down Hidekazu's neck and shoulders so that he could lock in the Mercury Sleeper, which is how he got the fall. [B]Time: 16:47 Rating: C[/B] Next, our crack production department put together a decent video detailing the history of Takayuki 2000 and Jack Marlowe. Nice job, production department... [B]Rating: C-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGOpenweight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/Takayuki2000.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/JungleJack_alt.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Openweight Championship Match Takayuki 2000 vs. Jack Marlowe[/SIZE][/B] Marlowe had every reason to expect that he would leave victorious and be the new Openweight Champion. After all, he has been on a serious roll lately, putting in some excellent matches. Takayuki has been no slouch himself, using his patented Persian Deathlock to take down everyone in his path. These two gentlemen told a compelling story this match, as Marlowe was his usual smashmouth self, hitting Takayuki with everything he had. The only problem with that strategy is it left him open to a smart counterattack from Takayuki, which is what took place yet again. Takayuki ducked an off-balance clothesline from Marlowe, legsweeped him down and locked in the Persian Deathlock. Marlowe powered out of it, but Takayuki hooked it right back on. Marlowe was not so lucky this time, as he couldn't make it to the ropes or power out, so he was forced to tap out and give Takayuki the win in an excellent match. [B]Time: 25:34 Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/YasuhideTayama.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/PistolPeteHall.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]Yasuhide Tayama vs. Pistol Pete Hall[/SIZE][/B] Our buffer match before the main event had all the markings of a decent match - two hard-hitting superstars fighting it out near the top of the card. But, it was not meant to be as great as it could have been. Pistol Pete could not pull a great match out of Tayama, but he could pull a decent match. In 2-3 years, this match will be down right excellent, but not tonight. Pistol Pete took whatever Tayama tried to batter him with, then unleashed his own special brand of hard, stiff offense, finally dispatching Tayama with the Pistol Whip Lariat. [B]Time: 15:35 Rating: C+[/B] Next up, we had another video retrospective, telling the story of how Hyobanshi & Gakusha have interacted over the past few months. Another solid job, production department... [B]Rating: C+[/B] The camera focuses in on a monitor backstage that is showing the ring and the dramatic lighting starting up. Into the frame steps Pistol Pete Hall, who is sitting down to watch the match. [B]Rating: B-[/B] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCGWorldHeavyweight.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/ToshiharuHyobanshi.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/icon_vs.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/Wrestlers/HiroyasuGakusha.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B][SIZE="4"]World Heavyweight Championship Match Toshiharu Hyobanshi vs. Hiroyasu Gakusha[/SIZE][/B] This was hands down the best match of the night, as it should have been. These two men, who have been waiting, biding their time to get at each other, tore into the match with a reckless abandon that was uncharacteristic of their usual styles. However, they couldn't keep this pace up for long and started to slow things down at about the 10:00 mark. Gakusha in particular stopped looking for high impact moves and changed his strategy to strikes and ground based offense in order to maximize his energy. Still, by the end of this marathon, he was starting to show the telltale signs of being a bit winded. Hyobanshi seized this opportunity to ramp up the intensity of his offense even more and, in the highlight of the match, speared Gakusha off of the canvas with a huge Nova Burst. Unfortunately for Hyobanshi, he could not capitalize, as Gakusha shook off the impact and climbed back into the ring. This close call reenergized Gakusha, as he became himself again, hitting suplex after suplex and slam after slam. He eventually softened up Hyobanshi in his estimation that he felt confident going for the Gakusha Golden Bomb. Hyobanshi still had enough power to flip Gakusha over though. Instead of going for the pin, Hyobanshi dragged Gakusha back up and went for the Nova Bomb Redux. But, in the last and definitive counter, Gakusha blocked the suplex set-up and hooked Hyobanshi into the Gakusha Golden Bomb again, sending Hyobanshi crashing down to the canvas for the 1-2-3. [B]Time: 36:34 Rating: B[/B] [B][SIZE="5"][CENTER]Final Show Rating: B-[/CENTER][/SIZE][/B] Now that is how we do it. On the strength of two great title defenses and a title change, we have again reached the B- level. There was only one match below C level and it was the opener with two non-GCG regulars. That is a great sign for the future, as only Pistol Pete Hall and Stuart Ferdinand are really on the south side of their careers age-wise. However, Pistol Pete is still as popular as always, as just him watching the main event drew one of the biggest pops of the night. There is only one more show on the New Fire Burning Tour, and word is that Pistol Pete will make his intentions known, one way or another...

Tigerkinney · April 3, 2007

The Gakusha - Hyobanshi match was strong style at it's finest. :)

gbasalmon · April 3, 2007

[QUOTE=Tigerkinney;219730]The Gakusha - Hyobanshi match was strong style at it's finest. :)[/QUOTE] Believe it or not, I was inspired by the Cena/Michaels match from Wrestlemania when I did that write-up, with the countering of finishers and what-not. The newswire should be up tomorrow and the last card of the tour not long after...

MrOnu · April 3, 2007

Parade of Champions was a really strong show, the highlight of this tour as it should be. Gakusha finally proved in my book that he's a good champion with this performance. Things will get to a new whole level though against Pistol Pete Hall. The Tag Team scene is a bit weak now, teams need a bit of tuning, even the champs.

gbasalmon · April 4, 2007

[QUOTE=MrOnu;219772]Parade of Champions was a really strong show, the highlight of this tour as it should be. Gakusha finally proved in my book that he's a good champion with this performance. Things will get to a new whole level though against Pistol Pete Hall. The Tag Team scene is a bit weak now, teams need a bit of tuning, even the champs.[/QUOTE] As of right now I'm at a loss as to what to do with the tag scene. I have a few ideas for new teams that will debut during the next tour, but Murkami & Umaga are going to bring some stability to the division as the titles have been bounced around too much the past month for my liking (even though I booked it).

gbasalmon · April 4, 2007

Roster Report Card - Part One [B][CENTER][SIZE="7"]Roster Report Card - Part One[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] [U][B]Barry Griffin[/B][/U] - Barry had a rough time of it during the NFB Tour, only registering one win, against Namboku Makuda. He was one-half of the designated jobber tag team with Henry Bennett, so he was on the losing end of matchups with Coleman & Ferdinand, Samoan Destruction Inc., Kawasawa & Cox, and new champs Murkami & Umaga. His outlook for the upcoming tour looks to be much of the same, as he's a solid midcarder but just doesn't have the necessary fan following to justify any sort of push. [B]Rating: D+[/B] [U][B]Dark Angel[/B][/U] - The GCG legend started out with a bang, challenging Hiroyasu Gakusha for the World Heavyweight Championship on the first show of the tour, but went downhill from there. He came down with an inopportune case of food poisoning towards the end of January and destroyed any momentum that he had built up during the month. February saw him having excellent matches with Pistol Pete Hall & Shingen Miyazaki, but they were basically meaningless in the greater scheme of things. Unfortunately for GCG fans, the match with Miyazaki was the last match for the time being with GCG, as he's chosen to concentrate on his NOTBPW and BHOTWG endeavors, as he's touring with them on their current Deadlock Tour. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [B][U]Eagle Kawasawa[/U][/B] - This tour was a milestone for Kawasawa, as it saw him capture his first championship in his career, holding the World Heavyweight Tag Titles along with Jimmy Cox. Unfortunately, their reign only lasted one short month, as they were defeated by Murkami & Umaga at Parade of Champions. He did compete in one match for WLW, in which he teamed with Silver Shark in an unsuccessful attempt at defeating Power Trip WLW. If the last show of the tour is any indication, Kawasawa has re-entered singles competition, as he took down UK Dragon & Ketsueki Karasu with his trademark high-flying skills. [B]Rating: B-[/B] [B][U]Henry Bennett[/U][/B] - Bennett's claim to fame thus far has been being the other half of the jobber team of Griffin & Bennett, but as the NFB Tour wore on, he started to branch out. He made his debut back in America for MAW on a talent trade and actually made it onto the card at the Rip Chord Invitational Challenge, losing to Flash Savage in the first round. His second match was his only win, as he teamed with The Mean Machine to take down Call To Action. His last match was a rematch of sorts, as he fell in defeat to Mainstream Hernandez. In preparation for the next GCG tour, he has signed on to be a part of PGHW's version of the Deadlock Tour, losing to Alexander Robinson at Night of PRIDE. He has also agreed to appear for three more future dates in MAW in exchange for an undisclosed MAW star appearing in GCG. [B]Rating: C[/B] [B][U]Hiroyasu Gakusha[/U][/B] - What more can be said about the World Heavyweight Champion that hasn't been said already? He's definitely done his mentor Yoshifusa Maeda proud, as he's held on to the title since March 2006. He's one of the few to accomplish the GCG Triple Crown, and he shown any signs of slowing down or stepping down from the top of the heap. He did suffer slightly from some sub-par main event tag matches, but that's only a small hiccup in what is sure to be a long reign as champ. Pistol Pete Hall & Toshiharu Hyobanshi are hot on his tail, but Gakusha is more than up to the task... [B]Rating: B+[/B] [B][U]Jack Marlowe[/U][/B] - Without a doubt, Jack Marlowe was the breakout star of the NFB Tour. He has been a fixture near the top of the card since his debut a few short years ago, but he took his first steps towards true stardom this tour with his fantastic series of matches with Takayuki 2000. The two men met up four times during the tour, and put in a great performance every time. Marlowe has been unsuccessful in his pursuit of the Openweight Championship so far, but he's definitely poised for great things in the upcoming months, especially with the imminent departure of Dark Angel leaving a spot open at the top of the card. [B]Rating: A[/B] [SIZE="4"]Next up ... Part Two[/SIZE]

gbasalmon · April 4, 2007

Roster Report Card - Part Two [B][CENTER][SIZE="7"]Roster Report Card - Part Two[/SIZE][/CENTER][/B] [B][U]Jimmy Cox[/U][/B] - The NFB Tour was fruitful for Jimmy, as he once again tasted gold, along with Eagle Kawasawa. They did only hold the Tag Titles for a month, but it's another addition to Cox's growing resume. He sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, but never puts in a bad effort. His contributions will be needed even more as the GCG roster gets retooled, as it undoubtedly will be in the next few months. [B]Rating: B[/B] [B][U]Julian Watson[/U][/B] - Watson was the second person to jump ship from GCG in 2007, after Samoan Machine's jump to BHOTWG. Watson also went to the Hammer and took up largely the same spot there as he had in GCG - enhancement talent. He has only been on six shows so far this year with both companies, so he has a lot of catching up to do to capitalize on his considerable potential. Any gain now will be BHOTWG's gain. [B]Rating: D-[/B] [B][U]Kiminobu Kuroki[/U][/B] - Kuroki continued his slow climb to the top of the card during the NFB Tour, as he was another challenger for the Openweight Championship, losing to Takayuki 2000 in a good match at Respect Is Earned. After that match, the rise of Jack Marlowe stopped any chance of Kuroki getting another shot for the duration of the tour. Kuroki bided his time putting in great matches with SUKI & Hidekazu, and he looks poised to re-enter the Openweight Championship picture as the next tour kicks off. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [B][U]Larry Wood[/U][/B] - Wood is the rock that the lower reaches of the card are built on. He may not be able to wrestle for any extended period of time, but he's a great steadying presence for the youngsters working their way up the card. He may be an unsung player on the roster, but his contibutions are not completely without merit. Especially impressive was his work with Yasuhide Tayama, as he carried Tayama to two excellent matches during the tour. [B]Rating: C-[/B] [B][U]Namboku Makuda[/U][/B] - Makuda's NFB Tour was a bit of a disappointment, as he didn't really showcase any of his skills in the small amount of time he had in the ring. He only registered one win, a dark match victory over Larry Wood, but he is one of the workers who stands to benefit most from the paring down of GCG's roster that is starting to take place. [B]Rating: D[/B] [B][U]Naonobu Murkami[/U][/B] - Murkami had a great NFB Tour, as he regained gold for the first time since 2002. He teamed with Rhino Umaga to beat Eagle Kawasawa & Jimmy Cox at Parade of Champions. He and Umaga look strong as a team and are looking to add some stability to the titles, which have been passed around a lot the past few months. Whether or not they can do so is entirely dependent on what they show as a team. [B]Rating: B[/B] [B][U]Nathan Coleman[/U][/B] - Coleman had a mostly uneventful run with GCG during the NFB Tour. He and Stuart Ferdinand dropped the Tag Titles to Samoan Destruction Inc., and after that happened, Coleman wandered aimlessly through the rest of the tour. He and Ferdinand had a few more wins, but mostly served to build up Kawasawa & Cox after they took the titles in the tournament at Respect Is Earned. Unfortunately, GCG and Coleman could not come to an agreement on a new contract, so Coleman has returned to America full-time to work for both DAVE & NYCW. [B]Rating: D+[/B] [B][U]Pistol Pete Hall[/U][/B] - If it weren't for Jack Marlowe's astounding string of high-quality matches, Pistol Pete might have had a shot at being the MVP of this tour, as he really reasserted himself as a dominant force in GCG, especially towards the end of the tour. He has forced his way into the World Heavyweight Championship scene and made himself a force to be reckoned with. He looks primed to finally add some gold to his long and storied career resume. [B]Rating: B[/B] [B][U]Quick Kick Nakao[/U][/B] - Of all the wrestlers in the lower reaches of the card, Quick Kick had the hardest time finding his way onto shows this tour. He was only active in January, losing to Julian Watson and Hidekazu. He actually saw more action in WLW, where he gained his only win so far in 2007, defeating Panda Mask II and Beetle Kimura. Quick Kick may stilll have a hard time getting on cards, as his mat wrestling skills still are not developing well at all and he looks horribly out of place in a GCG ring. [B]Rating: E-[/B] [B][U]Rhino Umaga[/U][/B] - Rhino Umaga's star is on the rise all over Japan, which is good for him and possibly not good for GCG. He did gain two more reigns with the Tag Titles during the NFB Tour. He used the exposure from that to get himself a touring contract with BHOTWG and has been a large part of their Deadlock Tour, challenging for Nissho Yuasa's Burning Openweight Championship and even reuniting with Samoan Machine for a few shots at Koshiro Ino & Tadakuni Toshusai's Burning World Tag Team Titles. Umaga is definitely one to watch, if he stays with GCG. [B]Rating: B-[/B] [B][U]Samoan Machine[/U][/B] - Machine had only a short time in GCG before he jumped ship, but had enough time to add one cosmetic reign with the Tag Titles. Once he got to BHOTWG, he followed largely the same path as his partner, as he also had a few shots at the Burning Openweight Championship. [B]Rating: N/A[/B] [B][U]Shingen Miyazaki[/U][/B] - Miyazaki is slowly but surely stating his own case for a title shot, as he's impressed a lot in the first few months of 2007. He put in a solid effort in every one of his matches, and even had a great match with Dark Angel in February. Where he really shined, however, was PGHW, where he had his first shot at gold in Japan. He unsuccessfully tried to take the Historical Japan Title off of Bryan Holmes and also tagged with Roku Sotomura a few times to challenge Ryoma Muruyama & Masaru Ugaki for the International Tag Titles. Big things may be in store for him in the future... [B]Rating: B-[/B] [B][U]Shotaro Ikina[/U][/B] - Shotaro was a fixture during January, but as the tour went on, Shotaro had a hard time getting on the cards. He just doesn't have the overall skill to merit a consistent push and will probably continue to be used sparingly. [B]Rating: C[/B] [B][U]Stuart Ferdinand[/U][/B] - Ferdinand's tour followed largely the same contour as his partner, Nathan Coleman. The main difference is that Ferdinand has had much more success outside of GCG, signing on with INSPIRE and only losing one match, to Arjen Van Der Leyne. With the exodus of Coleman, Ferdinand will take on the dual role of veteran midcard anchor and possible tag team member. [B]Rating: C-[/B] [B][U]Takayuki 2000[/U][/B] - Takayuki had a sterling tour, only losing once, to the World Heavyweight Champion. He successfully defended his title from both Kiminobu Kuroki and Jack Marlowe and is well on his way to becoming the longest reigning Openweight Champion in the belt's short history. He is GCG pureblood, and is another wrestler poised to capitalize if GCG can regain its former glory. [B]Rating: B[/B] [B]Toshiharu Hyobanshi[/B] - Hyobanshi's win-loss record during the tour (5-5-1) was extremely pedestrian, but what that statistic doesn't take into account is the quality of all of those matches. Hyobanshi only had one singles match under B-, and that was the no-contest with Jack Marlowe. Even though he was unsuccessful in wresting the World Heavyweight Champion from Hiroyasu Gakusha, he is still very much a threat and is probably the most all-around exciting wrestler in GCG. [B]Rating: B+[/B] [B][U]Yasuhide Tayama[/U][/B] - Tayama has been much more a fixture than his usual tag partner, Shotaro Ikina, as he has a great upside that may very well be developed if he continues to put on solid matches as he did all through February. Larry Wood & Pistol Pete Hall both contributed to Tayama's development and they will probably continue to be a large part of it. Tayama may be tapped for greatness, if everything turns out OK. How big of an "if" that is remains to be seen. [B]Rating: C[/B] [SIZE="4"]Next up ... the tour schedule and the first scheduled matches![/SIZE]

gbasalmon · April 6, 2007

[CENTER][B][SIZE="5"]GCG has laid dormant for one whole month. In April, they arise anew with the...[/SIZE][/B] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v197/gbasalmon/GCG%20Diary/GCG_goldenlegacy.png[/IMG][/CENTER] This tour will have two weekly shows. To work around the PGHW & BHOTWG schedules, we've chosen Thursday and Sunday for those two shows. Also, since dates are real tight for all of the GCG stars for the whole tour, there will be no supershows this tour, which means every tour show will be 90 minutes of action-packed wrestling. As always, the highlights of all of the matches will be featured on Stars of the Golden Canvas, still going strong on Japan's home for quality television, All Japan TV. Joining GCG on tour from the beginning will be three new wrestlers who will be touring with us for all of the Golden Legacy Tour. They are the following: [CENTER]

[/CENTER] [SIZE="4"][B][CENTER]Bulldozer Smith[/CENTER][/B] [B]Profile: [/B]"Bulldozer" Brandon Smith is a heavyweight grappler from Robinsdale, Minnesota. A former football stand-out, he began training to be a wrestler when a knee injury ended his dreams of pro ball. He is a powerful fighter who generally likes to get in close and crush his opponent with heavy duty Japanese-style suplexes and violent slams. His first taste of professional wrestling action will be with GCG. [B]Finishers: [/B]Backdrop Driver, Inverted Piledriver [B]Title History: [/B]none[/SIZE] [CENTER]

[/CENTER] [SIZE="4"][B][CENTER]Merle O'Curle[/CENTER][/B] [B]Profile: [/B]Merle O'Curle, "The Irish Stretching Machine", is an excellent European-style submission worker, who seems to have an endless supply of painful holds in his arsenal. Perhaps his only drawback is that he is one of the least flashy wrestlers around, and that makes it hard to be successful with modern audiences. He holds the distinction of being the first and last wrestler to hold the short-lived 21CW Strong Style title. Merle joined GCG in early 2007, hoping he would appeal more to the Japanese. [B]Finisher: [/B]Celtic Wreath (modified Indian deathlock) [B]Title History: [/B]21CW Strong Style Champion (2x)[/SIZE] [CENTER]

[/CENTER] [SIZE="4"][B][CENTER]Thom Barrowman[/CENTER][/B] [B]Profile: [/B]Thom "Guide" Barrowman is a gifted brawler, best known as one half of The New Wave alongside Scout, a fabulous tag team who have been one of the highlights of DAVE over the last few years. Thom brings an intense brawling style into the mix, using his phenomenal athletic gifts to turn his own body into a weapon of destruction. Many think that Thom could be an enormous singles star somewhere down the line. He added a GCG tour to his resume in 2007 and will compete under his real name. [B]Finisher: [/B]Guided Missile (Northern Lights Bomb) [B]Title History: [/B]DAVE Tag Team (3x, w/ Scout as The New Wave)[/SIZE] Also, Kiminobu Kuroki has debuted a new entrance video with some new theme music. Here it is... [CENTER]

[/CENTER] [SIZE="5"]Up next ... the Golden Legacy Tour commences![/SIZE]

MrOnu · April 7, 2007

Three good wrestlers that should add depth to your roster. Any special reason for the schedule format change ?

Sign In

GCG: The Birthplace of Puroresu

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Archived