Japan TV 10-9-87 King's Road League begins!

[Chitohausen]

World Wrestling Kingdom; Seiji Sakaguchi, president



Airs on Saturday, October 9, 1987 on:





Taped on October 2 at Ota Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan



Announcers: Kenji Wakabayashi and Takashi Yamada; Wakabayashi also performs ring announcer duties
Referees: Tiger Hattori, Joe Higuchi, and Kyohei Wada



While the opening theme plays, we see the following clip:

Tenryu sets Fujinami up for his Powerbomb, but Inoki comes in and connects with an Enziguri! Fujinami crawls over to his corner, and tags Inoki, who comes in and hits Tenryu with another Enziguri for a 2-count! Tenryu tags in Choshu, who tears into Inoki. Choshu connects with a Lariat, then hoists Inoki up in a Piledriver, with Tenryu coming off the top rope for a SPIKE PILEDRIVER! Choshu covers Inoki . . . but Inoki gets a shoulder up at the last second! Frustrated, Choshu whips Antonio into the ropes, and hits another Lariat! Choshu covers him, but AGAIN Inoki gets a shoulder up at the very last possible second!

Choshu thought he got the 3-count, and when Tiger Hattori says no, it was only two, Riki Choshu drops him with a clothesline! Fujinami comes in, but he’s quickly double-teamed by Choshu and Tenryu, and then tossed out to the floor.

Choshu and Tenryu continue to assault Inoki, until Tiger Hattori gets back to his feet, and calls for the bell, disqualifying Choshu and Tenryu for attacking him!

Fujinami slowly gets back into the ring, but Choshu drops him with a Lariat! With Inoki and Fujinami both down and out on the mat, Choshu and Tenryu leave the ring, as the young boys come into the ring to check on Inoki and Fujinami.



KENJI WAKABAYASHI and TAKASHI YAMADA open the show.


They welcome us to this week’s episode of World Wrestling Kingdom!

This week, we’ll see the first four matches of the King’s Road League, to crown the WWK World champion!


To start the show, the 12 wrestlers that will take part in the King’s Road League all come to the ring.

WWK chairman Lou Thesz is holding the World championship belt, and has a trophy with him as well.

Thesz says that the winner of the King’s Road League will not only win this trophy, but they will be crowned as the World champion! He says that World Wrestling Kingdom has revived the World title that was promoted by the Worldwide Wrestling Associates promotion in Los Angeles. It was recognized by promotions all over the world, including the JWA right here in Japan.

Legends like Edouard Carpentier, Freddie Blassie, the Destroyer, and Rikidozan have all held this title, and on October 31, one of the 12 men with him in the ring will reach the pinnacle of this sport, and have their name added to that list!



KING’S ROAD LEAGUE:
BLOCK B:
TATSUMI FUJINAMI [2 points] defeats JIM NEIDHART [0 points]. Fujinami wins the opening match of the King’s Road League, earning 2 points by pinning Neidhart with a Dragon Suplex.



KING’S ROAD LEAGUE:
BLOCK A:
GENICHIRO TENRYU [2] defeats DINO BRAVO [0]. The Japanese fans get their first look at the Canadian strongman Dino Bravo. He uses his power advantage to manhandle Tenryu early, but Genichiro bounces back, and after stunning Bravo with an Enziguri, he drives him into the mat with the folding Powerbomb for the 1, 2, 3!



An ad airs for upcoming shows, part of the “King’s Road Series ‘87” tour. We see clips of some of the wrestlers that will be in action during the tour, as well as a list of the following shows:

Tonight, October 9, in Morioka, Iwate prefecture!

October 10 in Rokunohe, Aomori prefecture at the Town General Gymnasium!

October 11 in Takko, Aomori prefecture!

October 13 in Aomori, at the Aomori Citizen Gymnasium!

October 15 in Tsu, Mie prefecture!

October 16 in Osaka at the Prefectural Athletic Gymnasium for a TV taping!


KING’S ROAD LEAGUE:
BLOCK B:
RIKI CHOSHU [2 points] defeats YOSHIAKI YATSU [0 points]. We get a hard-hitting, back and forth match here. Both men are accomplished technical wrestlers, and we get a clean, scientific match for the most part, though Choshu shows that he has no problem bending the rules if the opportunity presents itself!

In the end, Choshu gets the win when he locks Yatsu in the Scorpion lock for the submission.



Before the main event, we go to the locker room area for comments from Antonio Inoki and Stan Hansen. Inoki says he’s grateful for the opportunity to wrestle in this tournament, and with the support of these great fans, he believes he can win the whole thing!

Stan Hansen, on the other hand, is a lot louder and more arrogant than Inoki! He says that him winning the tournament and the World title is a given, what he’s most interested in today is beating the hell out of Antonio Inoki!


KING’S ROAD LEAGUE:
BLOCK A:
STAN HANSEN [2] defeats ANTONIO INOKI [0]. Hansen chases the fans away with his bullrope as he charges to the ring. During the introduction, Hansen paces back and forth like a caged animal, just waiting for the bell to sound! Once the match begins, Inoki successfully avoids Hansen’s attack, and take the big Texan down to the mat, as the fans chant Inoki’s name.

Hansen quickly turns the tables, connecting with an elbow to the side of Inoki’s head that leaves Antonio dazed. Hansen slams him hard to the mat, and proceeds to drop a big elbow, then another, and another! Hansen goes for the cover, looking to end the match quickly, but Inoki kicks out at 1.

Hansen delivers a backbreaker, then connects with a kneedrop, but again Inoki kicks out at 1. Hansen pulls Inoki into a seated position, then applies a chinlock. Hansen then brings one clubbing forearm after another down across the chest of Inoki. The pain is clear on Inoki’s face, as Hansen continues to batter him. Hansen again goes for a cover, this time Inoki is slower kicking out, and Hansen gets a 2-count.

Inoki starts to battle back, he fights his way to his feet, then stuns Hansen with several elbow strikes, before taking Hansen down to the mat with an armdrag, and going to work on Hansen’s Lariat arm! When Inoki goes for an armlock, Hansen quickly pulls himself to the ropes, forcing a break, then catches Inoki with a closed fist, stunning him! Hansen puts the boots to Inoki, then hoists him up, and drops him on his head with a Piledriver! Fortunately for Inoki, he’s close to the ropes, and he rolls under the bottom rope and to the floor before Hansen can inflict any more punishment.

As referee Tiger Hattori counts, Inoki stumbles around on the floor, trying to shake off the cobwebs. Hansen comes out after him, and they brawl on the floor. Hansen sends Inoki into the ringpost, then rolls him back into the ring. Back inside, Hansen continues to punish Inoki. Hansen keeps going for the pinfall, but Inoki always manages to get a shoulder up at the last second!

Inoki then fires off some vicious kicks to Hansen’s legs, leaving the big cowboy limping. Inoki then takes Hansen to the mat and lays in some more kicks! Inoki is fired up now, and he tears into Hansen. Inoki seems to have things going his way, he whips Hansen into the corner, but the big Texan hits the turnbuckles, and explodes out of the corner . . . LARIATOOOOO!

Inoki crumbles to the mat, and Hansen covers him for the 1, 2, 3!



After the decision is announced and Hansen gets his hand raised, he grabs the mic and says that’s one down! He says that he’s going to run right over everyone else in Block A, on his way to becoming World champion!


Wakabayashi and Yamada wrap things up, and hype next week’s show.



Credits Roll


© 1987, World Wrestling Kingdom