NJPW Tag Festival, February 1985

[gordi]

New Japan Pro Wrestling is proud to announce the first-round match-ups for out International Tag Team Wrestling Festival, which will take place from February 3rd through 27th, at various arenas throughout Japan. All first and second round match-ups will be contested in best two out of three fashion. The Semi-finals and Finals will be held on the 25th and 27th in Tokyo.

The winner of the Tournament will be crowned the first-ever IWGP Tag Team Champions,

The Guerreros (CCW) vs Canek and Dos Caras (NJPW)

Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura (NJPW) vs The Strongbows (CCW)

​The Caribbean Connection (Lutte Int.) vs The Hart Foundation (WWF)

The Rock n Roll Express (Memphis) vs The Fort Bragg Brotherhood (USWA)

The Grapplers (MACW) vs Double Daves (NJPW)

Buzz Sawyer and "Doctor D" David Schultz (AWA) vs Aichi Blondes (NJPW)

The Cobras (NJPW) vs The Youngbloods (WWF)

The Super Destroyers (CCW) vs The Can-Am Express (AWA)

The Samoans (Lutte Int.) vs The Sheepherders (Lutte Int.)

​The Assassins (USWA) vs The Freebirds (USWA)

The Bolsheviks (Memphis) vs The Killer Bees (WWF)

Los Destructores (CMLL) vs Shiro Koshinaka and Kantaro Hoshino (NJPW)

Double Kims (NJPW) vs The Bruise Brothers (USWA)

Strong Machines #2 and #3 (NJPW) vs The Islanders (WWF)

Junkyard Dog and Don Arakawa (NJPW) vs Anoaro Atisanoe and Siva Afi (NJPW)

Black Cat and Enrique Vera (NJPW) vs The Windhams (MACW)

[SirEdger]

So psyched for the start of the Tag Festival!

[gordi]

So it looks like I'll be staying in Tokyo for at least the first two weeks of the Tag Festival. It's killing me to miss out, but I've been tasked with helping to produce the LaserDisk and Betamax releases of the first two rounds of the tournament. There are 32 teams, so sixteen match-ups, so (at best two of three) there could be as many as 48 total tag team matches in the first round. At two hours playing time, it's going to involve a lot of editing to fit all those matches into one package. Even in round 2, with a max of 24 matches to work with, we'll only be able to show about 5 minutes of each match - not counting introductions, commentary, and so on...

 

The plan is to have dual releases for each round: One with highlights of every match and a second release called "Best Bouts" with full matches. My main job will be selecting which matches make the Best Bouts releases.

 

We also need to crank out the TV shows to hype the tournament, and get video out to all of the North American promotions that have sent talent over to participate in the Festival. So, it's going to be a busy couple of weeks. things will get less hectic for the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. 2-hour versions of each show will air on Asahi TV on tape delay, and also be released as-is on LaserDisk and Betamax. We may put out additional Best Bouts packages, depending on demand.

 

The boys from overseas are all here now, and it's a pretty chaotic scene. I can already see that it' gonna take some real diplomacy to keep a couple of these guys out of jail this week (*cough* Corporal Kirchner and Buzz Sawyer *cough*) and also to keep Porkchop Cash from kicking Michael Hayes' teeth in. It's too bad Andre isn't still here, to play policeman. Hopefully everyone understands where the lines are, and that crossing them will make it harder to get a big fat Japanese payday in the future.

 

Inoki, Sakaguchi, and Strong Machine #1 are all on the tour despite not being in the tournament. They'll generally be keeping the peace on the road, and also doing a trios match against a random team of foreign talent as the main event for the shows in most towns. I'm looking forward to seeing Inoki, Sakaguchi and Strong Machine #1 vs. Ricky Morton, Jim Brunzell, and Tom Zenk, or vs. Carlos Colon, Nikolai Volkoff, And "Dr. D" David Schultz. wish I could be there to see all of it live. Hope we can fit some of those matches onto tape for the fans, but it's going to be tight.

 

My old friend and pro wrestling senpai "Vicious" Verne Siebert has come over from All Star Wrestling in Vancouver to help keep things organised. He'll be my eyes and ears on the road while I'm stuck in the editing booth. Doriya-mon has provided us with wireless communication devices to stay in touch. I'm looking forward to hearing Verne's road stories, and hoping that not too many of them involve apologizing to the local police.

[kevinmcfl]

This sounds great. Can't wait for it to start.

[gordi]

Man, I have been sweating bullets trying to put these commercial videos together. The two-hour time limit has been a real ball-buster. Weve got 32 teams competing in the first round, so in the highlights video we have less than four minutes per team (or around 6-7 minutes per match-up, including time for the intro and commentary and credits) to show what they can do. And, since each match-up is contested as best two out of three, that means we can show about 2-3 minutes of each match. There is so much more Id like to pack on there

 

the Japanese have an expression, Shikata ga nai, or as they say in Osaka: Sho ga nai. It basically means, It cant be helped or There nothing we can do or Thats just the way it is

 

Yuka and I have been saying Sho ga nai to each other again and again as we ruthlessly cut these 8-12 minute tag matches down into tiny chunks that will fit on a laserdisc or Betamax tape. The guys on the editing team have all picked up on it, and its become a big in-joke to use Osaka slang in the production centre.

 

With the New Japan Pro Wrestling Tag Festival First Round Best Bouts volume, the time limit means that we have had to choose just 8 or 9 fights from out of 47 total matches (and thats only counting tournament matches, not including the Inoki & co. 6-man matches or anything else on the cards). Obviously, there were more than 8 good matches in the first round of this tournament. What we have decided to do is focus on the best matches of the foreign teams that were eliminated in the first round. Those teams will be headed home tomorrow, so this is their only chance to have a full match make tape. Even then, there were 12 non-NJPW teams eliminated in the first round, so not all of them will make the final cut. That sucks, but... sho ga nai.

 

One particular situation with a couple of the US promotions has made that decision much easier, however: It looks like both CCW and Memphis are in imminent danger of collapse. I personally havent heard anything from their bookers since mid-December in Stennicks case and late December in the case of ltrain. So, with apologies to those fine gentlemen and to their teams, The Guerreros, The Strongbows, The Super Destroyers, and the Bolsheviks They are only gonna make the highlight videos.

 

The worst thing about that is that The Guerreros vs. The Lucha Libre Legends was absolutely one of the best match-ups that we had in the first round. Its killing me that we cant put one of their matches on the Best Bouts tape. The silver lining is that the Strongbows work a very similar gimmick to the Youngbloods, not just in terms of the native head-dress and tomahawk chops, but also in that the brother not named Jay plays face in peril until the hot tag is made, whereupon Jay goes on the warpath and starts chopping the bad guys down. So its maybe just as well we didnt have to put a full match from each team on the commercial release. Live, we got around it by booking them on alternating nights.

 

Anyway, there are just two more shows to go. We are putting the finishing touches on the Best Bouts release already, since all of the featured teams are booked to lose tonight or tomorrow anyway. Hopefully it will be ready for sale by the last night of the first round. The Highlights release is almost good to go already, with just 15 two-minute gaps waiting to be filled. As soon as its ready, well be putting that out there too.

 

[SirEdger]

To think that I was actually amazed a couple of years ago that one of my good friends still had a functioning Betamax at his parents' place!

[gordi]

To think that I was actually amazed a couple of years ago that one of my good friends still had a functioning Betamax at his parents' place!

 

lol. Reportedly, Sony only stopped making tapes for those machines in late 2015.

 

 

Despite all of my whining about how hard it was to edit everything down, I'm pretty happy with how the Highlights home video turned out. One of our goals with this Festival was to show the rich variety of the art of Tag Team Wrestling. I think we manage to partially achieve that in the first round. We had a few chaotic brawls, some blood, some technical match-ups, some story-driven and character-driven work, some fast-paced action, a bunch of matches worked in the classic Southern Tag style, and a bunch worked outside of that style.

 

The Guerreros (CCW) vs Canek and Dos Caras (NJPW)

As I said, this was one of the very best match-ups of the first round. They meshed pretty well, working a fast-paced technical style with a lot of give and take on both sides. The Guerreros took the fist match with consecutive Moonsaults on El Canek, but the Lucha Libre Legends came roaring back in their next two match-ups. A Dos Caras Clutch kept Mando down for three in the second match, and then a kneeling Argentine Backbreaker from Canek forced Chavo Sr. to tap out in their final bout. We managed to squeeze a bit of the show of respect after the final match onto the home video, as well as some sweet Lucha-style mat work, some Suplex near-falls, and some snappy arm drag exchanges.

 

Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura (NJPW) vs The Strongbows (CCW)

The similarity of their gimmick to that of The Youngbloods was not the only issue we had with The Strongbows. To be frank, Jules and Jay worked pretty lazily in their first two matches. Jules sold a little, tagged out; Jay did his war dance and threw some chops. In the first match Jay got cut off and eventually Jules submitted to the Dragon Sleeper. In the second match, he didn't get cut off and managed to sink an Indian Death Lock on Kimura for the win. I wasn't there, but Verne said that both matches were kind of disappointing. Maybe they have grown too reliant on their gimmick, which simply isn't over with the crowds in Japan. Maybe they are down because of the uncertain situation back home in CCW. Whatever the reason, Fujinami read them the riot act before their final match and they worked it in a completely different style, going to the mat and working the legs building up to the Death Lock but this time Kimura made it to the ropes and his hot tag (to Fujinami) really got the crowd going. After a little more back and forth, Kimura got the win with a No-hands Triangle Scorpion on Jules. That last match could have made the Best Bouts tape, under different circumstances.

 

​The Caribbean Connection (Lutte Int.) vs The Hart Foundation (WWF)

Its pretty hard to predict whats going to get over with a crowd. The Strongbows couldnt manage to pop the crowd with their gimmick, but Carlos Colon was able to get them completely on his side with nothing more than a couple of cartwheel taunts and an appeal for some applause. It probably helped that there had been a newspaper profile on The Caribbean Connection winning a match with The Spoiler and The Missing Link to get the coveted opportunity to come and wrestle in Japan. Probably also helped that The Hart Foundation did a great job of portraying cocky bad guys. The Connection made fairly quick work of the Harts in their first match, with Chicky Starr nailing Bret with a Piledriver then tagging in Colon, who finished things with a Figure Four in the middle of the ring. In the second match, Starr got Hart in Piledriver position again, but this time Neidhart ran in and leveled Starr with a huge Shoulder Block to break it up. Hart pinned Starr with a handful of tights as Neidhart prevented Colon from making the save. After the match, Starr had some angry words for Colon.

Best Bout 1: Early in the third and final match, Neidhart knocked Carlos Colon off of the ring apron with a clubbing forearm shot, so that when Chicky Starr went to make the tag, his partner wasn't there. This led to Starr getting trapped in the heel team's corner and beaten down pretty badly. When he finally managed to escape his predicament, Colon was back on the apron. Starr tagged him in by slapping his partner in the face. This time, it was Colon who got trapped and beaten down and when he escaped and went for the tag, Starr turned his back. That betrayal left a broken Colon to take a nasty looking Hart Attack and eat the pin.

 

The Rock n Roll Express (Memphis) vs The Fort Bragg Brotherhood (USWA)

In this match-up both teams worked clean, but the Rock n Rollers fast-paced offense and play-to-the crowd style endeared them more to the Japanese crowds than the Brotherhood's Stars and Stripes Soldier gimmick did. Morton and Gibson took the first and the third matches with a clean Double Drop Kick finish after Morton had bumped all over the ring for Kirchner and Kernodle. The second match, however, broke a little from their usual formula.

Best Bout 2: Pvt. Kernodle came out on fire in this one, using his size and power to overwhelm first Morton and then Gibson. Kirchner continued to pour on the pressure with a series of Bodyslams and Clotheslines. After five straight minutes of non-stop punishment the Express were finally able to get some offense in after Kernodle mistimed a charge into the corner. Using quick tags and teamwork, Morton and Gibson maintained the advantage for about four minutes until Cpl. Kirchner caught Morton on the top turnbuckle and slammed him into the middle of the ring. He followed up with an Airborne Slam and a quick tag to Kernodle, who finished Morton off with a Swinging Neckbreaker.

 

Double Kims (NJPW) vs The Bruise Brothers (USWA)

This was the only match-up where the teams only met twice, mainly because Kim Duk badly twisted his ankle in the second bout. Their first match finished in a DCOR as both teams brawled out of the ring and into the crowd after about five minutes of back-and-forth slugfest action.

Best Bout 3: This time, Porkchop Cash and Kim Duk brawled out of the ring immediately, barely making it back in time to beat the count, where they tagged in Dream Machine and Kim Su Hong, respectively, who then also brawled out of the ring. I guess this bout could be described as "Hard hitting comedy brawling." The general themes included distracting the ref so your partner can choke a guy and barely beating the 20 count back into the ring. After Kim Duk (legit) hurt his ankle going over the guard rail, the Bruise Brothers just went after Kim Su Hong with a vengeance. After taking a long series of knees and elbows, Kim was worn down enough that Cash was able to finish him off with a Big Head-butt.

 

Strong Machines #2 and #3 (NJPW) vs The Islanders (WWF)

This was a straight-up battle of power against power. These guys just threw bomb after bomb and beat each other all around the ring, to the delight of the crowd. The Machines took the first bout with a Brainbuster from #3, but the Islanders came back to take both of the next bouts with a Savate Kick followed by a Double Diving Head-butt. The highlights video featured tons of Slams, Clotheslines, Backbreakers, and Chops.

 

Junkyard Dog and Don Arakawa (NJPW) vs Anoaro Atisanoe and Siva Afi (NJPW)

This was worked as kind of a Southern Style heel vs face brawl, with Arakawa in the role of face in peril and JYD eagerly awaiting the hot tag. The good guys took the first match when JYD caught Afi with a Power Slam. In their second meeting, things seemed to be heading in the same direction but Atisanoe managed to re-take the advantage and eventually hit Arakawa with a Samoan Drop for the pin. In the third match, JYD thrilled the crowd by getting the 300-pound Atisanoe in position for a Shoulder Breaker, but Afi came flying off the top rope and kicked his partner in the back, causing Dog to fall over with Atisanoe on top of him... and that was how it ended.

 

Black Cat and Enrique Vera (NJPW) vs The Windhams (MACW)

Another technical match-up, spiced up by Cat and Vera bending the rules a little and the young Texans playing to the crowd. The Windhams took the first bout with a Double Bulldog on Vera. Black Cat caught Kendall in a Gory Special to take match #2. The final match went back and forth at a furious pace for almost 15 minutes before Windham nailed Vera with a Superplex and floated over into a pin.

 

And that's the end of side one of the LaserDisc. Hopefully we'll get side two finished tomorrow.

[kevinmcfl]

Great show with great style. So easy to read and follow. Looking forward to the next round. Are teams that lost eliminated?

[SirEdger]

Chicky Starr turning on Carlos Colon was even better than I could've imagined when I pitched you the idea. Great job on the whole format overall!

[gordi]

Great show with great style. So easy to read and follow. Looking forward to the next round. Are teams that lost eliminated?

 

Yes, teams that lost twice are eliminated (and free to go back home). That would include ​The Caribbean Connection and The Fort Bragg Brotherhood.

 

Chicky Starr turning on Carlos Colon was even better than I could've imagined when I pitched you the idea. Great job on the whole format overall!

 

Thanks! It was fun to write that up.

[gordi]

One kind of cool thing about the Highlights home video package that I didn’t mention when I was writing about side one of the LaserDisk is that each match takes place in a different venue. When watching clips from three matches in a row between the same two teams, having a different background provides an extra degree of individuality to each of the matches. This was really brought home when producing side two of the disc as the final night of round one was held in the brand new Kyoto KBS Hall, which has a gorgeous stained-glass window on the side opposite the hard camera. That added a nice extra detail to the third matches in the following series:

 

The Grapplers (MACW) vs Double Daves (NJPW)

I loved this match-up. The boys worked at really fast pace, using tons of classic chain wrestling. Morgan and Taylor worked clean. That, and being familiar to the NJPW fans, helped keep the crowds solidly behind them. The masked Grapplers worked in some subtle heel details, like pulling hair to get out of holds and using double teams behind the ref’s back. Taylor took the first match with his Float-over Butterfly Suplex. The Grapplers took the second match with a Double Bucksnort Blaster Choke Slam on Morgan.

Best Bout 4: Once again they started out with quick tags and fast-paced chain wrestling. The Double Daves managed to trap #2 in their corner and they went to work on his arm, including a nice high spot where Taylor held him in a modified wristlock while David Morgan leapfrogged over his partner and landed on the masked man’s arm. Eventually, Morgan caught #2 in an abdominal stretch, but he was too close to the heel corner. When the ref was not looking, #1 pulled Morgan’s hair to help break the hold. Once they had Morgan isolated, Denton and Anthony went to work on the British veteran’s leg. #1 almost made Morgan tap with a Grapevine Hold, but the veteran managed to make it to the ropes. He scrambled to his corner and tagged in Taylor. Grappler #1 tagged in Grappler #2. Taylor almost immediately caught him in a Chicken Wing and then worked it into a Cross Face Chicken Wing. #1 tried to interfere but Morgan took him out with a Head-butt to the Gut. Grappler #1 had no choice but to submit.

 

Buzz Sawyer and "Doctor D" David Schultz (AWA) vs Aichi Blondes (NJPW)

We had hoped to push Schultz and Sawyer to at least the second round of the tournament, but to be frank those guys just couldn’t keep themselves out of trouble on the road. To appease the local authorities, we had to agree to send them back to America on the night of the 10^th. While they were here, they matched up with Ueda and Goto to provide our fans with a clinic on out-of-control brawling. The Japanese team managed to eke out a win in their home prefecture of Aichi when Ueda tossed his partner back into the ring just in time to beat the 20 count. In Kobe, both teams were counted out as they went brawling around the arena.

Best Bout 5: I guess with this being their last night in Japan, the boys decided to have a little fun with this match. All four men went straight at each other before the bell even rang. The brawl immediately spilled out to the ringside area where they took turns smashing each other into the guardrail. They then made their way back into the ring and went after each other’s eyes with rakes, pokes, rope burns, and boot scrapes. With all four men stumbling around half-blinded, the ref was able to restore some semblance of order and we were left with Goto and the Mad Dog in the ring, struggling over a Suplex. Goto won that battle, but as soon as he stood up, Sawyer sprang to his knees and stared biting him on the leg. Of course, that led to another melee which spilled back outside. As the referee’s count neared 20, all four men raced back into the ring, where they proceeded to bite one another on the forehead. Soon, all four were bleeding. When the ref tried once again to restore order, all four brawlers turned on the official, tossing him from the ring. They then brawled out of the ring, up the aisle, and into the back. That beautiful stained glass window made a pretty strange contrast to the carnage.

 

The Super Destroyers (CCW) vs The Can-Am Express (AWA)

Classic US-Style tag team wrestling here, with two big, masked, bad guys going against two handsome, athletic babyfaces in Tom Zenk and Phil Lafon. In all three matches, Zenk bumped around like crazy for the big heels before making the hot tag to Lafon. In the first match, The Super Destroyers managed to cut Lafon off, beat him down, and finish him with a Double Superplex. The Can-Ams won bouts #2 and #3with picture-perfect Double Drop Kicks.

 

The Cobras (NJPW) vs The Youngbloods (WWF)

Another heel vs face match-up, with this one worked in more of a fast-paced and flashy style. In contrast to the American heel teams, The Cobras didn’t use a lot of overt heel tactics but instead just kept up a constant pressure on The Youngbloods. The American team used blood to get sympathy, and they got busted open in each of their three matches. Shunji pinned Mark after a Missile Dropkick in the first match and George pinned Jay after a Tombstone in the second. It was decided that they should wrestle the third match anyway, and it turned out to be a pretty good one.

Best Bout 6: As usual, The Cobras started out fast and kept the pressure on. After several minutes of fast-paced action, Jay was trapped in the Tree of Woe as Shunji Takano kicked him repeatedly. George Takano knocked Mark Youngblood off of the ring apron then did a dive from the ring to the outside that ended with both men tumbling over the barricade. Shunji released Jay Youngblood from the Tree of Woe, whipped him into the far corner, and charged in to finish him off. At the last moment, though, Jay slipped out of the way as Takano crashed full speed into the turnbuckles. Seizing the moment, Jay Strongbow scrambled to the top corner and came off with a Flying Tomahawk Chop for the victory.

 

The Samoans (Lutte Int.) vs The Sheepherders (Lutte Int.)

Unsurprisingly, these teams also ended up brawling out of control most of the time. In fact, it seemed like they had a little private competition going on with Aichi Blondes and Dr. D & The Mad Dog to see who could put on the most violent match every night. Afa and Sika took the first bout after nailing Butch with ten consecutive Double Head-Butts. The Sheepherders pinned Afa in the Second match after softening up his mid-section with the Battering Ram then nailing a big Double Gutbuster.

Best Bout 7: I think that after seeing how Dr. D and Mad Dog took their match way over the top and went ridiculous with it, these guys decided to keep things more compact and intense in their final match. The action mainly stayed in the ring and they mostly just hit each other, really hard, again and again. Rather than going with the FIP –> hot tag formula, they mixed it up a little by sticking to: Guy gets double-teamed –> partner runs in for the save. It’s a small change but sometimes the little things make all the difference. Eventually the Samoans started to wear down their smaller opponents and then Luke and Butch were forced to rely on guile to regain the advantage. In the end, Afa and Sika went for one Double Head-Butt too many, Butch ducked out, The Samoans knocked each other loopy, and the Sheepherders advanced to the second round.

 

The Bolsheviks (Memphis) vs The Killer Bees (WWF)

This was a classic good guys vs bad guys, speed vs power match-up. These guys have wrestled hundreds of matches like this in their careers and while there was nothing particularly special about their matches in Japan, all three were very well-worked examples of this style. The Bees worked from underneath most of the time, succumbing to a Volkoff Bearhug in the first match, but coming back to win the next two with their Double Jumping Hip Attack finisher.

 

​The Assassins (USWA) vs The Freebirds (USWA)

Rather than yet another out of control brawl, this match-up was worked in a character/story/subterfuge and guile manner. The basic idea is that The Assassins were loading up their masks and The Freebirds were trying to get them disqualified for it. So, in the first round the ‘Birds went after The Assassins’ masks, tearing at them to try and expose the metal plates underneath. However, in their enthusiasm to get their opponents disqualified they ended up going too far and in an ironic twist it was Garvin and Hayes who took the DQ loss in match #1. The irony continued in match #2, as Assassin #1 managed to load up his mask… but accidentally blasted his partner with it, leading to a roll-up pin and tying the series at one screw-up loss per team.

Best Bout 8: The Assassins came out hot and went after The Freebirds with a vengeance, dominating the opening minutes of the match. Garvin turned the tide by making a sneaky tag to Hayes and leading Assassin #2 on a goose chase, so that Hayes was able to jump him as he was chasing Garvin back into the ring. Once again, the ‘Birds went after their opponent’s mask, managing to tear it partway open. Assassin #2 fought back to his own corner and Assassin #1 was able to turn the tide in his team's favour. This time, they trapped Garvin in the corner and worked him over. The Gorgeous One was blasted with Head-Butts by the masked men, busting him open and laying him out. However, what appeared to be a metal plate seemed to fall out of Assassin #2’s mask as this was going on. The referee saw that, and called for the bell, disqualifying the masked team and awarding the series to The Freebirds. A bloodied Garvin slowly got to his feet, where he saw his partner dancing on the turnbuckle in celebration. With a disgusted look on his face, Jimmy Garvin left the ring and stormed to the back, alone.

 

Los Destructores (CMLL) vs Shiro Koshinaka and Kantaro Hoshino (NJPW)

Los Destructores are Tony Arce and Vulcano, working in matching black, silver, and white outfits with identical masks. This was worked in an entertaining semi-comedy style, with Koshinaka using all kinds of hip attacks, Hoshino using speed and quickness to avoid Los Destructores attacks, and the CMLL wrestlers using their similar appearances to bamboozle the referee and their opponents, making quick switches without tagging. Their matches were a nice change of pace and among the fan favourite bouts every night. Rather than chose a single match for the Best Bout series, we finished off the home video with an extended highlight reel of comedic moments, athletic high spots, and creative double-team manoeuvres from the series. Koshinaka and Hoshino took two bouts out of three to advance in the tournament.

[SirEdger]

Wow....looks like everything isn't smooth sailing for the Freebirds after the first round. I might have to rethink my prediction of them being in the Final Four!

[gordi]

New Japan Pro Wrestling is proud to announce the second-round match-ups for our International Festival of Tag Team Wrestling.

 

The second round will be held from February 11th through 17th, at various arenas throughout the Kyushu region of Japan. All second round match-ups will be contested in best two out of three fashion.

The Quarter-Finals will take place on the 18^th through 22^nd, in Northern Japan. The Semi-finals and Finals will be held on the 25th and 27th in Tokyo.

The winner of the Tournament will be crowned the first-ever IWGP Tag Team Champions.

 

The Hart Foundation (WWF) vs Shiro Koshinaka and Kantaro Hoshino (NJPW)

 

Aichi Blondes (NJPW) vs The Sheepherders (Lutte Int.)

 

Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura (NJPW) vs The Bruise Brothers (USWA)

 

The Rock n Roll Express (Memphis) vs The Killer Bees (WWF)

 

The Cobras (NJPW) vs The Windhams (MACW)

 

The Freebirds (USWA) vs Double Daves (NJPW)

 

Anoaro Atisanoe and Siva Afi (NJPW) vs The Islanders (WWF)

 

The Can-Am Express (AWA) vs Canek and Dos Caras (NJPW)

 

If you have any questions or comments about the Tag Festival, please contact NJPW Head Booker “Gordi” by telephone, by fax, by pm, or by replying to this thread.

[LowBlowPodcast]

Spectacular production of this festival and product. Very easy to read and follow. I am definitely pulling for the Harts, Bees, and Islanders to make a splash. As good as they do there, the more it will help here!

[kevinmcfl]

Love that you had to send Sawyer and Schultz back early!

 

Question.... During the Samoans/ Sheepherders match you said instead of going with a FIP.... What is that?

[gordi]

FIP = Face In Peril

[gordi]

Wow....looks like everything isn't smooth sailing for the Freebirds after the first round. I might have to rethink my prediction of them being in the Final Four!

 

That's a neat idea. Who does everyone think will be the Final Four? Hint: There will be 2 NJPW teams and 2 "outsider" teams.

 

Spectacular production of this festival and product. Very easy to read and follow. I am definitely pulling for the Harts, Bees, and Islanders to make a splash. As good as they do there, the more it will help here!

 

Thank you! I think you will be pretty happy with how your teams look in this round.

 

Love that you had to send Sawyer and Schultz back early!

 

 

Sawyer definitely has a real-life rep for being a hell-raiser. I'm glad you got a kick out of that.

[SirEdger]

Really looking forward to Rock N' Roll Express vs Killer Bees. Such a shame that one of those twos will be eliminated!

 

For the Final Four prediction, I'll go with Fujinami/Kimura, Canek/Dos Caras, Freebirds & Hart Foundation

[gordi]

 

For the Final Four prediction, I'll go with Fujinami/Kimura, Canek/Dos Caras, Freebirds & Hart Foundation

That is *really* close!

[SirEdger]

Must be my booking instinct!

[kevinmcfl]

Final 4: Fuginami/Kimura, Canek/Dos Caras, Rock N Roll Express, Freebirds!

[gordi]

Final 4: Fuginami/Kimura, Canek/Dos Caras, Rock N Roll Express, Freebirds!

Also *really* close.

 

I guess you've got good booking instincts, too. Just like SerEdger.

[gordi]

The Hart Foundation (WWF) vs Shiro Koshinaka and Kantaro Hoshino (NJPW)
In contrast to their almost playful series of matches with Tony Arce and Vulcano in the first round, Koshinaka and Hoshino worked a very intense and focused style against their much larger opponents in the second round. They used their speed and quickness to frustrate The Hart Foundation early in the first match, but eventually Bret managed to catch Hoshino and isolate him in the heel corner. Hoshino took a terrible beating before a Hart Attack put him down for the count. In the second match, The Hart Foundation went after Hoshino right away, but this time he was able to make the hot tag to Koshinaka, who put on a great fired-up performance. A Power Bomb into a Prawn Hold on Neidhart finished things cleanly, in the middle of the ring.
Best Bout 1: The Japanese team appeared to be very well prepared for their opponents' tricks in the third and deciding match of their series. Again and again, Hoshino and Koshinaka were able to avoid or counter Hart and Neidhart's attacks. This led to a frustrated Bret crashing full speed chest-first into the turnbuckle, after a failed attempt at a double-team manoeuvre. Alone in the ring with Neidhart, Koshinaka fired up the crowd by winning a slugfest with the larger man. For the next three minutes, Kosh and Hosh used quick tags and teamwork to keep Neidhart off-balance. Once again, Koshinaka nailed Neidhart with a Power Bomb, but a freshly-recovered Bret flew into the ring and broke up the pin attempt. After that, the Harts kept the referee distracted as they punched, choked and bit Koshinaka, and knocked Hoshino off of the ring apron. With Koshinaka worn down and Hoshino unable to make the save, a Hart Attack was all it took to put an end to things.

Aichi Blondes (NJPW) vs The Sheepherders (Lutte Int.)



Unsurprisingly, these two teams just straight-up brawled through all three of their matches. Ueda and Goto had the size advantage and played a little dirtier, but the Sheepherders had more experience working together as a team. Their first match ended in a DCOR and their second in a DDQ, so as usual the third match would be the deciding one.
Best Bout 2: Aichi Blondes put on a clinic in Dirty Fighting. They stalled and stooged and avoided locking up or even getting in the ring as long as possible, frustrating the Sheepherders to the point where it was easy to trick them into making mistakes. For the most part, Goto was tasked with keeping the referee distracted while Ueda attacked Luke and Butch with foreign objects, choked them out, bit them, and rammed their heads into the ring posts and guard rails. Eventually, both Sheepherders were busted open and furiously angry. They managed to catch Goto in their corner and put a nasty beating on him, but Ueda broke up the pin attempt. Then they finally managed to wrestler the foreign object out of Ueda's grasp, but as they went to work on Uedas forehead the ref saw what they were doing and threatened to disqualify them. As the angry Sheepherders argued with the ref, Ueda tagged in a rested and ready Tatsutoshi Goto, who nailed Butch with a High Angle Belly to Back Suplex while Ueda tossed Luke from the ring... and three counts later Aichi Blondes were on their way to the quarter finals.

Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura (NJPW) vs The Bruise Brothers (USWA)
An interesting match-up of technical wrestling vs punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. Fujinami and Kimura just poured on the pressure, going full speed after Porkchop Cash and Dream Machine from the opening bell. Their aggression actually cost them the first match, as Kimura got frustrated with Dream Machine's interference and chased him outside, only to get tossed over the barricade into the crowd, where he was counted out. In the second match, though, the Japanese team simply overwhelmed the Americans, and Kimura got his revenge by finishing Dream Machine with a nasty-looking Piledriver.
Best Bout 3: Angry after losing badly in the second match, The Bruise Brothers came out hot in the third bout. For several minutes, they forced Fujinami and Kimura out of their game plan and turned the match into a slug-fest. After barely beating the 20-count back into the ring, however, the Japanese wrestlers turned things around by focusing on attacking their opponents' limbs. Once the brawl morphed back into a wrestling match, momentum switched over to Fujinami and Kimura's side. Eventually, they isolated Porkchop Cash and worked over his legs until Fujinami was able to put him away with a Figure Four Leg Lock.

The Rock n Roll Express (Memphis) vs The Killer Bees (WWF)
In stark contrast to the previous match-ups, these teams worked a clean and athletic style. There was a real joy in watching them chain moves and sequences together, and there were plenty of smiles and high fives in the ring. All four men bumped and sold like crazy and they managed to keep the crowds involved with frequent appeals for applause, and by playing for sympathy while fighting from underneath. This was about as good, and as entertaining, as face vs face tag team wrestling gets. The Express won the first match with a Double Drop Kick on Blair, and the Bees won the second with a Double Hip Attack on Gibson.



Best Bout 4: Before the match started, the Killer Bees gave their ring jackets to Morton and Gibson, and received t-shirts and bandanas in return. The match started out with a much-extended rope-running sequence, with drop-downs and leap-frogs galore. Attempts at Hip-Locks, Arm-Drags, and Drop-Kicks were all avoided or countered. Tags were quick and frequent. The first near-fall came when Blair got isolated in the Rock n Rolls corner. Morton and Gibson worked over his leg and eventually Gibson applied a spinning toe hold in the middle of the ring. Blair kicked Gibson off and Brunzell nailed a big elbow as Gibson fell into the Bees' corner. Gibson stumbled backward and Blair rolled him up but only got a 2.99.
Tags were made and the rope-running was resumed. Morton whipped Brunzell into the ropes and ducked down for a Backdrop. Jumping Jim leaped high into the air and turned the Backdrop attempt into a Sunset Flip. As Morton was falling over, he managed to make a tag to Gibson, which the referee saw. The pin attempt was broken up, and as Brunzell got to his feet Robert came off the ropes with a Missile Dropkick and finished things off with a pin.

The Cobras (NJPW) vs The Windhams (MACW)
Brothers vs. brothers, so lots of great team-work in these matches. The Windhams dominated the first match, finishing George Takano off with a Superplex from Barry followed up by a bulldog from Kendall. In the second match, Kendall went for the Superplex early on, but George pushed him off the top turnbuckle, nailed a Top Rope Senton, and made the pin as Shunji kept Barry from breaking it up.
Best Bout 5: Both teams came out swinging and the match twice turned into a brawl that spilled out of the ring. The second time, Kendall was whipped hard into the ring barrier and laid out with a Piledriver on the ringside floor. Barry was left to fend for himself against both Cobras and he held his own for a few minutes with powerful Uppercuts and Slams. He had each Takano brother slumped in an opposite corner, and was running back and forth delivering Forearms and Elbows. However, he went to the well once too often. As he rushed at George to clobber him with a Corner Lariat, The Cobra ducked out of the way and Barry ran out of control into the corner. He slammed his head on the ring post, and one Roll Up and one handful of tights later the Cobras were on their way to the quarter finals.

The Freebirds (USWA) vs Double Daves (NJPW)
A match-up of technique vs guile. The British team did best when they were able to keep their tempers and stick to wrestling. The Americans fared better when they were able to drag things out of control. The Birds lost the first bout after a malfunction-at-the-junction spot, which led to an argument between Hayes and Garvin, but they managed to pull things back together for their second match and take the win with a Bombs Away Brainbuster on David Taylor.
Best Bout 6: The Double Daves kept control of the match for almost ten minutes by sticking to a solid game plan. They tagged in and out frequently, kept their opponents isolated, and worked over their arms. However, every time the Freebirds had the slightest opportunity they preened and strutted around the ring. This clearly frustrated Dave Taylor and eventually it led to him making a fatal mistake. He chased a strutting Garvin outside the ring, only to be ambushed by a waiting Hayes. Taylor took a Bulldog on the floor and barely managed to make his way back into the ring before being counted out. On the ring apron, Garvin motioned for Hayes to tag him in so he could finish Taylor off. Instead, Hayes picked Taylor up, nailed a DDT, and ordered Garvin to watch out for Morgan. Gorgeous Jimmy stopped the veteran Brit from breaking up the pinfall, but he didn't seem all that happy about it.

Anoaro Atisanoe and Siva Afi (NJPW) vs The Islanders (WWF)
In contrast to the Rock n Rolls and the Killer Bees, these guys showed their mutual respect by just laying into each other without mercy. This was probably the stiffest and the hardest-fought series of the second round. In the first match, Atisanoe caught Haku with a Samoan Drop and Siva Afi finished him off with a High Flying Splash. In the second match, The Islanders got their revenge with a Double Diving Head-butt on Afi.
Best Bout 7: This was just a festival of stiffness. For over ten minutes all four men just threw Chops, Forearms and Head-butts with 100 per cent intensity. Afi, the youngest and smallest of the competitors, took by far the worst of it. He was being brutally double-teamed in the Islanders corner when Atisanoe barreled across the ring and took Haku out through the ring ropes. Afi quickly climbed to the top and launched himself onto Haku on the outside. Soon, all four men were brawling at ringside. As the referees count neared 20, Atisanoe picked up his partner and threw him back into the ring, over the top rope. When the count reached 20, the New Japan team were declared the winners by count out. As they were celebrating in the ring, The Islanders approached them... and lifted Afi up onto their shoulders, parading him around the ring in a show of respect for the younger man.

The Can-Am Express (AWA) vs Canek and Dos Caras (NJPW)



This was a very entertaining match-up, as all four men seemed quite willing to sell and bounce around the ring. As a result, all of the big moves looked genuinely impressive. The first two matches went the full fifteen minutes, without any decision being reached.
Best Bout 8: The final match is joined in progress, with three minutes remaining: The Can-Ams were clearly in control and throwing everything they had at Canek and Dos Caras. The Lucha Libre Legends, however, proved too resilient and just refused to stay down for a three-count. As the bell rang to signal that time had once again run out, Antonio Inoki made his way to ring-side. He explained to the crowd that due to the tournament there had to be a winner, and the match was re-started. Zenk, clearly exhausted, tagged in Lafon who was immediately slammed to the mat by Canek and then chopped repeatedly by Caras. Canek, tagged back in, lifted the Canadian up in a Gorilla Press and smashed him into the mat. Lafon managed to kick out before the three count, but the wind was knocked out of him and he had no choice but to tag Zenk back in. The Minnesota native's gas tank was empty, however, and he got tossed around by Canek before Dos Caras was got a tag and finished Zenk off with a Sit-out Powerbomb. All four men collapsed in the center of the ring and were tended to by the dojo boys as the crowd showed their appreciation.

[kevinmcfl]

I enjoy reading these tournaments. Is this how wrestling was in Japan? One month a tag team tournament and the next something different?

[SirEdger]

Great show and nice touch with the wrestling figures in between!