Japan TV 12-4-87 World 6-man tag title tourney continues!
Dec 5, 2021 20:06:09 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Dec 5, 2021 20:06:09 GMT
World Wrestling Kingdom; Lou Thesz, Chairman
Airs on Saturday, December 4, 1987 on:
The show also airs on stations in China, South Korea, Hong Kong, the eastern-most part of the Soviet Union, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Phillipines.
The show airs in select areas outside of Asia, such as the west coast of the US and Canada, Hawaii, Australia, and Brazil.
Taped: December 3 at the Prefectural Gymnasium in Akita, 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:
Tiger Mask made short work of Ashura Hara last week, but has a much harder time here against Saito! Saito dominates the early going, using his power advantage to pummel the masked man. Tiger Mask II takes a horrendous amount of abuse throughout the match, but shows his fighting spirit as he won’t stay down!
As the match progresses Tiger Mask eventually turns the tables, and after stunning Saito with a Tiger Feint kick, the masked man connects with a Tiger Suplex for the 1, 2, 3!
KENJI WAKABAYASHI and TAKASHI YAMADA open the show.
They welcome us to this week’s episode of World Wrestling Kingdom!
Today, we’ll see Keiji Mutoh and Masa Chono in tag team action!
Giant Baba squares off with Tiger Jeet Singh!
Ted Dibiase faces former International champion Rick Martel!
And, the feature bout, a quarter final match in the World 6-man tag team title tournament, the People’s Army of Tatsumi Fujinami, Antonio Inoki and Tiger Mask II, face the Powers of Pain, the Warlord, the Barbarian and Bad News Allen!
TOSHIAKI KAWADA beats KENTA KOBASHI. Two youngsters kick off the show. Kawada has slightly more experience, but Kobashi has been catching on quickly since becoming a pro. Both men rely on heavy striking in the early going, with Kawada connecting with some especially vicious kicks! Kobashi shows his fighting spirit, as he continues to fight back. However, in the end, Kawada hits a Gamengiri, knocking Kobashi silly. Kobashi still tries to fight back, but as he gets to his knees, Kawada delivers a vicious roundhouse kick to the head of Kobashi and that’s all she wrote! Kawada covers him for the 1, 2, 3!
KEIJI MUTOH & MASAHIRO CHONO beat MIGHTY INOUE & FUJI YAMADA. Yamada is the quick, agile member of his team, while Mutoh can match him in that department, while Chono and Inoue are the more technical, mat-based wrestlers of their respective teams. Mutoh and Yamada face off to start, and we’re treated to a lightning-quick pace. Mutoh soon gains the upper hand, when he sidesteps an attempted splash in the corner. Yamada crashes into the turnbuckle pads instead of his opponent, and Mutoh immediately goes to work on him! Mutoh tags Chono in, and Chono takes Yamada down to the mat, working on his leg, not only looking to soften him up for the STF, but also taking away one of Yamada’s biggest weapons, his flying attack.
Yamada is able to tag Inoue in, and initially Inoue gains the upper hand on Chono, but Chono eventually turns the tables, and tags in Mutoh. Keiji wears Inoue down, and connects with a Moonsault for the 3-count!
VTR: Hansen/Dibiase vs Funk/Baba, 11-27-87, JIP:
Despite Baba and Funk giving a good showing of themselves, Hansen and Dibiase get the win when Hansen drops Baba with an absolutely devastating Western Lariat for the 1, 2, 3!
After the match, Dory Funk Jr takes the house mic, and says that he’s held the World title before, and says that he’s generally recognized as one of the greatest NWA champions of all time! He says that he knows his career is coming to an end, but he wants one more opportunity to hold the World title, and challenges Hansen to put the WWK World Heavyweight title on the line against him!
Hansen agrees, but warns Funk that it will be the last match Dory ever wrestles!
END VTR
Wakabayashi says that WWK Chairman Lou Thesz has signed the match, and Hansen will defend the World heavyweight title against former NWA champion Dory Funk Jr on December 23 at Nippon Budokan! The match will air on TV on January 1, 1988.
TIGER JEET SINGH battles GIANT BABA to a Double Count-Out. Tiger attacks Baba before the bell, and repeatedly bashes Baba in the head with the handle of his sword! By the time the bell rings, Baba has already been busted open! Tiger spends the early part of the match going after the cut on Baba’s head, punching, gouging, even BITING, at the cut!
Baba won’t stay down, and eventually the battle moves to the floor. On the outside, Baba finally gains the advantage, after sending Tiger into the steel guardrail. Baba slams Singh’s head into the ring apron, and then whips him into the ringpost!
However, neither man is paying any attention to referee Tiger Hattori’s count, and when he reaches the count of 20, the match is declared a double count-out!
Baba and Singh continue to brawl, making their way into the crowd, then eventually back to ringside, before brawling down the aisle and to the locker room.
Wakabayashi and Yamada discuss the World 6-man tag team title tournament. Last week, we saw Keiji Mutoh, Masahiro Chono and Shinya Hashimoto defeat Owen Hart, Brian Pillman and Wild Pegasus in a quarter final match.
VTR: Three Muskateers vs Calgary Hurricanes, 11-27-87, JIP:
The Calgary Hurricanes live up to their name, as they fly around the ring at a lightning-quick pace! Mutoh, Chono and Hashimoto try to slow things down, and rely more on mat wrestling and striking.
Eventually that strategy works, as the Muskateers are able to ground their opponents, and wear them down on the mat. In the end, Hashimoto hits Wild Pegasus with a Brainbuster, for the pinfall victory!
END VTR
Then a graphic appears on the screen, featuring the 6 teams that are still in the tournament:
The Revolution Army: Genichiro Tenryu, Riki Choshu and Masa Saito!
People’s Army: Tatsumi Fujinami, Antonio Inoki and Tiger Mask II!
The Amazing French Canadians: Rick Martel & Jacques & Raymond Rougeau!
The Outlaws: Ted Dibiase, Dick Slater and Bob Orton Jr!
The Powers of Pain: the Barbarian, the Warlord and Bad News Allen!
The Three Muskateers: Keiji Mutoh, Masa Chono and Shinya Hashimoto!
TED DIBIASE (w/ Dick Slater & Cowboy Bob Orton Jr) beats RICK MARTEL (w/ Jacques & Raymond Rougeau). The full match went almost 30 minutes, but it’s edited down for TV. Fans of good ol’ pure scientific wrestling could not ask for a better match, as these two are both among the very best technical wrestlers in the world today!
Dibiase and Martel put on a clinic, going hold for hold the entire match! Late in the bout, Dibiase gains the upper hand, and starts to focus on Martel’s knee. Martel is able to make a brief comeback, but as he bounces off the ropes and charges towards Dibiase, Ted connects with a lightning-quick powerslam out of nowhere! Dibiase then locks on the Figure-4 Leglock and shortly after, Martel submits!
WORLD 6-MAN TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT:
QUARTER FINAL MATCH:
THE PEOPLE’S ARMY: TATSUMI FUJINAMI & ANTONIO INOKI & TIGER MASK II defeat THE POWERS OF PAIN: THE BARBARIAN & THE WARLORD & BAD NEWS ALLEN. Tatsumi Fujinami gets the win for the People’s Army when he pins Bad News Allen after a Dragon Suplex!
After the match, an enraged Bad News Allen attacks Fujinami from behind, and pummeled him before Antonio Inoki and Tiger Mask made the save!
Wakabayashi and Yamada wrap things up, and hype next week’s show, where the World 6-man tag team title tournament will continue, as the Outlaws, Ted Dibiase, Dick Slater and Bob Orton Jr, meet the Amazing French Canadians, Rick Martel and the Rougeau brothers!
We’ll also see Tiger Mask II continue his quest to earn a shot at Genichiro Tenryu and the All-Asia heavyweight title, as he faces Revolution Army member Riki Choshu! Choshu is the final obstacle standing between TM2 and Tenryu!
Credits Roll
© 1987, World Wrestling Kingdom
Working on it now.