New Japan TV 1-27-94 Mutoh and Chono vs Misawa and Kawada!
Feb 3, 2024 23:17:56 GMT
Post by Chitohausen on Feb 3, 2024 23:17:56 GMT
Sanctioned by International Wrestling Grand Prix; Seiji Sakaguchi, president
Airs across Japan on Saturday, January 27, 1994 on:
TV Asahi
Taped on January 4, 1994 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan
Announcers: Kenji Wakabayashi and Kotetsu Yamamoto
Ring Announcer: Hidekazu Tanaka
Referees: Red Shoes Unno, Tiger Hattori and Kyohei Wada
KENJI WAKABAYASHI and KOTETSU YAMAMOTO open the show.
We’re back in the world-famous Tokyo Dome for this week’s episode of Asahi TV’s “World Pro-Wrestling”!
On today’s program, we’ve got the two main event matches from the January 4 Tokyo Dome show!
First, Antonio Inoki continues his Retirement Countdown series, as he squares off with WCW’s Sting! Sting has wrestled several times in Japan, and is always a fan favourite!
And, the battle of the new generation of puroresu, NJPW’s Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono face AJPW’s Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada!
Wakabayashi says that, before we get to today’s matches, he has some big news. The “New Beginning ‘94” series starts in a few days, on January 30 in Toda, Saitama, and on that tour, there will be a tournament to crown the very first IWGP Jr Heavyweight tag team champions!
Six teams will take part in the league, with the final taking place on the final show of the tour at Sumo Hall on February 19.
The participating teams will be:
Jushin Thunder Liger and Great Sasuke!
The J-J-Jacks: Akira Nogami and Takayuki Iizuka!
Shiro Koshinaka and Kuniaki Kobayashi!
Koji Kanemoto & Shinjiro Ohtani!
El Samurai and Pegasus Kid!
Emilio Charles Jr and Dr Wagner Jr, from CMLL in Mexico!
ANTONIO INOKI RETIREMENT COUNTDOWN; MATCH #2:
STING defeats ANTONIO INOKI. Sting is quite popular in Japan, he gets a good ovation from the fans, but nothing like when Inoki emerges onto the ramp and makes his way to the ring! The crowd goes INSANE!!!
Sting shows a little more technical prowess here than we usually see from him. Almost immediately, Sting targets Inoki’s leg, taking him down to the mat and working on the leg. Inoki fights his way up to his feet, but Sting kicks the leg out from under him, which draws some boos from the fans. Sting goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, looking to put Inoki away early, but Inoki quickly pulls himself to the ropes before Sting can get the hold locked on.
Inoki battles back, he gets Sting on the mat, and works him over, but Sting again goes back to the leg, and turns the tables. In the end, Sting sends Inoki into the corner, and connects with the Stinger Splash! From there, Sting slaps on the Scorpion Deathlock in the middle of the ring and Inoki submits!!!! Sting has forced the legendary Antonio Inoki to submit!!!!
Sting helps Inoki up afterwards, and after the decision is announced, the two men shake hands!
Wakabayashi and Yamamoto discuss what happened at the end of last week’s main event, where Tiger Mask III assaulted Jushin Liger, and then unmasked to reveal Koji Kanemoto under the mask!
VTR: Last Week on World Pro-Wrestling, JIP:
That has to be it! Liger covers Tiger Mask . . . but TM gets a shoulder up at the last second!!!! Liger is shocked!!! Liger slams Tiger Mask hard near the corner, and heads to the top turnbuckle again . . . SHOOTING STAR PRESS!!!!!
Liger connects with the Shooting Star Press, and this time, he gets the 1, 2, 3!
After the decision is announced, Liger offers his hand . . . but Tiger Mask drops him with a clothesline!
At this point, Shinjiro Ohtani joins Tiger Mask in the ring. He stomps Liger, then throws him out of the ring!
Tiger Mask says that the promotion offered him a lot of money to become the new Tiger Mask. He says that he never wanted to wrestle under a mask . . . AND THEN TIGER MASK PULLS THE MASK OFF!!!
Koji Kanemoto says that he’s done with the mask, he’s sick and tired of wrestling as an old manga character, and says that this is the reason people don’t take wrestling seriously!
He says that from now on, men like himself and Shinjiro Ohtani are going to make it their mission to rid professional wrestling of these masked cartoon characters, and they’re going to return puroresu to the respectable sport it used to be!
END VTR
We hear quick comments from the six teams that will take part in the tournament for the new IWGP Jr heavyweight tag team titles.
Jushin Thunder Liger, who will team with the Great Sasuke, says there’s added motivation for him, as he wants to get his hands on Kanemoto and Ohtani after they attacked him on last week’s show.
KEIJI MUTOH & MASAHIRO CHONO (w/ Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroyoshi Tenza) defeat MITSUHARU MISAWA & TOSHIAKI KAWADA (w/ Akira Taue & Kenta Kobashi). Chono comes out with a different look here. He’s wearing dark sunglasses and a black leather jacket, and gone are his white and blue trunks, replaced with long black trunks and black boots. He and Mutoh are also accompanied by up and coming NJPW stars Kensuke Sasaki and Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
This is the first time that Mutoh has been in the ring with Misawa since Mitsuharu beat him for the IWGP heavyweight title on September 26 in Osaka. Misawa holds two singles wins over Mutoh, first beating him in the finals of the G1 Climax in August, and then beating him at the show in Osaka for the IWGP title. Mutoh will be looking to get a win over his rival here and avenge his loss of the IWGP title.
There’s some jawing back and forth between Misawa and Mutoh to start . . . with Masahiro Chono then blindsiding Misawa! Chono puts the boots to Misawa, with Mutoh then joining in. Kawada helps out his partner, hitting Mutoh with a vicious big boot to the jaw, then brawling with Chono!
On commentary, Wakabayashi and Yamamoto talk about the change in Chono’s attire, as well as this new, far more vicious side we’re seeing from him. Yamamoto says that this attitude might be just what Chono needs to really take him to the top of New Japan, while Wakabayashi isn’t so sure.
The battle soon moves to the floor, and we see the seconds for both teams get involved as well, and we’ve got a huge brawl on the floor! Chono batters Kobashi and Taue with a chair, but then Kawada kicks the chair right into Chono’s face! Meanwhile, Mutoh battles with Misawa, with Tenzan and Sasaki attacking Misawa from behind!
Back in the ring, Mutoh and Chono target Misawa’s leg, keeping the IWGP champ on the mat and taking turns working on his leg. Misawa manages to fight back, and make his way to his corner, tagging in Kawada. Chono pounces on Kawada, but when he whips Kawada towards Mutoh on the apron, Kawada catches Mutoh with an absolutely vicious running boot to the face that sends Mutoh crashing into the guardrail. Chono reacts quickly, attacking Kawada from behind, and pummeling him! So far, this has been more of a straight up brawl than a technical wrestling match!
Kawada tags out to Misawa, and Chono and Mutoh immediately go right back to his leg. Misawa shows his fighting spirit, he keeps battling back, but he’s basically wrestling the match on one good leg now. Kawada helps when he can, but Chono and Mutoh keep Misawa in the ring, not letting him get close enough to make a tag.
Misawa finds himself in the corner, with Mutoh and Chono taking turns pummeling him, but again he won’t stay down, he fires off vicious elbow strikes, staggering both men. Misawa hobbles to his corner and is about to make the tag . . . but Hiroyoshi Tenzan pulls Kawada off the apron just as Misawa goes to make the tag!
Misawa jumps out of the ring to help his partner, but Tenzan, Chono and Mutoh jump him. Chono slams Misawa on the floor, then batters his leg with a chair! They throw him back in the ring. Mutoh, the legal man, hits a snap suplex, then heads to the top rope for a Moonsault! Mutoh connects, and goes for the cover . . . ONE . . . TWO . . . Misawa kicks out!!!
Misawa tries to get to his feet, but Chono clips his leg from behind and Misawa crumbles back to the mat! Chono then hits the Yakuza Kick! Mutoh stomps away at Misawa’s leg, then locks on the Figure-4 Leglock, right in the middle of the ring!
Toshiaki Kawada tries to make the save, but Chono cuts him off, and they brawl! Misawa tries to fight his way out of the hold, but it’s no use. Misawa doesn’t give up, but instead passes out while in the hold, and the referee counts his shoulders to the mat for the 1, 2, 3!
Keiji Mutoh has pinned Mitsuharu Misawa, the man that took the IWGP title from him!
After the decision is announced, Chono and Mutoh are joined in the ring by Sasaki, Tenzan and Hiroshi Hase.
Chono introduces the fans in the Tokyo Dome, and watching on television, to TEAM WOLF! He says that they’re going to take over the wrestling world!
Wakabayashi and Yamamoto discuss what we just saw, and then hype next week’s show.
Credits Roll
© 1994, New Japan Pro Wrestling
Working on it now.