Post by Jeff L. on Oct 3, 2024 16:54:27 GMT -5
Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center.
Hiroshima Prefecture.
Japan.
---------------------------------------
„Cladded by the bright lights of the great city of Hiroshima, and the cheers and jeers of the fourty five hundred strong, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly Kenji Wakabayashi welcomes you to our eighth night of the Pacific League! We have prepared four great matches for you, and they will be broken up by a major announcement from our interim PWF Commissioner, Frank Goodish. Before we welcome our competitors, here’s a quick Pacific League table recap!”
Wrestler: Points:
Genichiro Tenryu 18
Riki Choshu 18
Mitsuharu Misawa 15
Jumbo Tsuruta 13
Akira Taue 9
Toshiaki Kawada 6
Gran Hamada 4
Satoru Sayama/Tiger Mask 3
„That top of the table seems to be getting pretty crowded and unpredictable even to the keenest of eyes. It’s anyone’s guess between Misawa, Choshu and Tenryu. But as we all have witnessed on the last show, Genichiro Tenryu had jumped ship from Baba’s Battalion to the Ishingun, joining the Bastard Choshu. If you’ll let your ol’ announcer be frank for a sec: you just know shenanigans are afoot, and if that no-good Army can fix some results, you know they will! But perhaps Misawa can pull a miracle off, and surprise everyone tonight. But let’s get to Ryu Nakata, and let him announce tonight’s first match!”
#1 Jumbo Tsuruta vs Tiger Mask:
As the bell rang, two men were donning concerned looks on their faces. They knew they were all on the same side of this company sized rivalry, but alas, they knew they had to face each other in the League, and put on a banger. It’s what Baba would have wanted. A handshake followed by a clap from the crowd, and a lock up ensued. Two men were seen exchanging wrestling holds, with Tiger Mask wrestling circles around Jumbo, but the big man was too powerful and shook off the junior heavyweight’s offense easily.
Tsuruta scooped the Tiger up, and launched him with a Fallaway Slam. Jumbo then ran the ropes, looking for a big swinging elbow drop, but Tiger Mask evaded, before scaling the buckles. Off of it, he struck the big man with a missile dropkick, putting him on the mat! A cover was applied, but Tsuruta had kicked out. Tiger Mask knew he had the advantage in the high risk maneuvers, so he dived once more off of the top rope; but he got clocked in the moosh with a glorious jumping high knee! A huge pop from the crowd was followed with a cover, but Tiger had found it within himself to kick out.
Jumbo was up first; and he sent out a loud OH! to the crowd, and as he turned away from his opponent, he faced the ropes, preparing to run them for the rebound lariat as the lighter opponent finally got up. But Jumbo surprised both him, and the crowd, by explosively turning his body for a short-arm lariat instead, driving Tiger’s head into the mat.
The lack of the momentum on the lariat however, was not enough to put the masked wrestler away. Jumbo knew he had to land the big, proper one, even though he did not want to hurt his fellow Battalion member any more than necessary. Alas, he ran the ropes, and swung his arm at Tiger Mask: but the junior heavyweight ducked, before locking in a double underhook from the behind, and the entire crowd gasped as Tiger Mask delivered a picture-perfect Bridging Tiger Suplex on the hundred pound heavier opponent! Surely, enough for a three count!
But at the very last millisecond, Jumbo managed to push out of the bridging pin attempt. Tiger Mask was still very much in control, and he remembered his advantage: his speed. Scalling the ropes, he lifted his hands up in the air, and delivered a beautiful Diving Headbutt. This was the move he learned from his most famous rival, the explosive Dynamite Kid. This one was however enough for a two count only. But Tiger did not give up! Remembering his old rival, he mustered all his remaining strength, and he lifted Jumbo up on his shoulders for a Tombstone Piledriver! But Tsuruta was seen kicking his legs, and shifting his weight; and he managed to land right behind Tiger Mask, before swiftly planting him with a Back Drop Driver. He managed to keep a bridging position on it, and it was enough…
For a full three count this time! Two men shook hands once more, and not much joy was shown by either man; for a true foe, the mighty Ishingun, were already getting up for their next match, as Jumbo and Tiger left the ring.
#2 Toshiaki Kawada vs Gran Hamada:
As the boos rained on the two treacherous men, Hamada was seen grabbing the mic. He first hushed the booing crowd, which of course led the people to jeer louder. But as they calmed down, Hamada donned a concerned expression, before telling Kawada: “We’re usually partners, but now we must fight. And I won’t lie, years haven’t been kind to the ol’ Hamada, but you, Toshiaki-san, just entered your prime. I’mma be frank, I’m afraid you’re gonna kick my face in”.
Toshiaki huffed, and pointed at the veteran to put the damn mic down and fight. Begrudgingly, Hamada complied, and Kawada went in for the lock up. But Hamada performed an evasive roll! Toshiaki huffed once more, and went for the grapple again, and Hamada rolled once more. This continued until the point of comedy, with Kawada chasing the older opponent around the ring, and Hamada continuously rolling away. The crowd, usually ready to boo the men, now seemed confused; perhaps even slightly amused by the performance.
However, Kawada managed to kick Hamada in the gut, before irish whipping him off the ropes. Hamada jumped over him, before rolling himself… into a literal ball. The British wrestling pundits knew this position as The Lady of the Lake. Kawada had no time for such foolery. He tried to pin the Hamada-ball, but it was not possible. He continued rolling his veteran opponent around the ring, but his shoulders seemed to be magically off the ground at each pin attempt. Kawada grunted angrily, and charged for a penalty kick… but he was stopped, perhaps by mercy, as Hamada whimpered at the ensuing kick. Big eyes of the poor old man looked at Toshiaki, as he stopped himself, perhaps taking pity at the old man, before having a eureka moment.
Toshiaki unfolded his tapewrist, and tied Hamada’s hands and feet together tightly. He then proceeded to roll the Hamada-ball out of the ring. Unable to free himself out of the tape, the referee counted Hamada out, awarding the victory to Toshiaki.
Kawada then left the ringside area, with a disgusted look on his face, and Hamada-ball was also removed somehow, though the eye of the camera did not catch this, and perhaps for the better.
***
Before the next match, PWF Commissioner Frank Goodish came out, and welcomed the Hiroshima crowd. He then proceeded to present a legend of American and Japanese wrestling: Dory Funk Jr.
The Funkster was seen sporting a blue blazer with a red, white and blue tie, and carried a navy blue bag under his left shoulder. He then greeted the clapping crowd:
“Pacific League has been a doozie so far, wasn’t it!? But as many of you may have noticed, many gaijins have been revealed on the official AJPW roster, and still have not wrestled. Fear not, good people, for I am hear to introduce you to… the Atlantic ‘Rasslin Connection!
Now, ARC, for short, will be AJPW’s other brand, complementing the native PWF. It will feature the best wrestlers on the coasts of the other great ocean, the Atlantic: the Americans and the British. And they will all compete for this…”
Dory unveiled the blue-leathered belt with a silver plate, donned with a great eagle clutching the banners saying Atlantic ‘Rasslin Connection Heavyweight Champion. He then continued, saying that the wrestlers will face off in a unique kind of a tournament - the Atlantic Cup. This tournament will feature four groups of four wrestlers facing in a round-robin format, and the two best of each group will proceed to the knockout phase: an eight-man elimination tournament, the winner of which will be the first ever ARC Heavyweight Champion.
The crowd clapped the commissioners of the two brands, Goodish and Funk, as the two next Pacific League competitors prepared for their match.
#3 Genichiro Tenryu vs Tiger Mask:
Crowd applauded the spent Tiger Mask after his gruelling bout against Tsuruta, and they cheered him on for his second match; as soon as the treacherous Genichiro Tenryu stepped through the curtain, the crowd let him know what they thought of traitors in All Japan. Deeply assured of his victory, he smirked at the crowd, convinced in triumph, as a tired Tiger took a deep breath, never taking his focus off of the bigger man.
As soon as Tiger went in for a lock up, Tenryu kicked him in the gut. A barrage of suplexes hurt the masked hero even more, and these were followed with frequent covers, as Tenryu tried to not only hurt, but gas out the exhausted man even more. Suplexes continued, until Genichiro went for a back drop to drive this match to a close… but the athletic Tiger Mask shifted his body, and landed a lateral press on Tenryu! Crowd erupted at this counter, which produced a deep two count.
Tiger went for an irish whip, only to be reversed by Genichiro, sending the masked man into the corner, and running at him, but Tiger Mask put his feet up, kicking his opponent, before quickly landing a missile dropkick off the second rope. Tiger Mask clapped and had the crowd behind him; but as he ran the ropes again, a kitchen sink by Tenryu sent Tiger flipping inside out, as he clutched at his abdomen. Tenryu’s expression was serious: he was not gonna let Tiger Mask get any more space. Russian legsweep was followed by a DDT, and surely, Tenryu had this one in the bag.
Alas, the masked vigilante kicked out! The roar from the crowd was quickly snuffed out by two more vicious, head-dropping DDTs! Tiger kicked out once again! Tenryu was now livid, and so was the crowd. He waited and begged for Tiger to get up, and he jumped in the air for a Gamengiri. But this was a mistake, as the smaller man evaded, and landed a spinning wheel kick off his own, but did not have enough energy to cover the opponent. Genichiro slowly got up first, and pointed his look to the entrance ramp. And surely, out of the backstage area, rumbling could be heard, followed by the great black curtains splitting. And out came… JUMBO TSURUTA!
Tenryu looked on in disbelief and anger! Jumbo pointed at Tenryu, threatening to decapitate him. This distraction was well placed, as Tiger mask performed an O’Connor roll from the back! Barely a kick out. Off of the ropes the masked one bounced, only to be caught with a big boot from Tenryu. As Tenryu was preparing for a powerbomb, Jumbo jumped on the apron. He continued jawing at Tenryu, distracting him with threats. Tiger Mask jumped on Tenryu’s back from the rear, into an electric chair position. Tenryu went to drop him head first in the top buckle, but Tiger held himself on with his hands, before pushing off, transitioning atop of Tenryu’s shoulders, and reaching down into a sunset flip. He bridged out of this position with a jacknife cover, and a one, a two count, and… Tiger Mask got the three!
Jumbo and Tiger celebrated in the ring, surrounding Tenryu. At this point, the entire Ishingun ran out, and the soldiers of the Army and the Battalion all braced themselves. But Spartan X then started playing, and Mitsuharu Misawa ran out to the pop from the crowd. The first man to take initiative was, interestingly enough, the referee Joe Higuchi. He threw everyone out to the back, except for two men about to clash: Mitsuharu Misawa and Riki Choshu. Battalion refused to leave until the rest of the Ishingun did, and Choshu’s Army all looked at their leader. He nodded, sending everyone away. As the ring cleared, the men prepared for this final match of the Pacific League!
#4 Mitsuharu Misawa vs Riki Choshu:
“It has come to this”, Wakabayashi called, “the last match of the Pacific League. If Choshu wins, he wins the League!”. As the bell rang, Misawa was ready to start throwing haymakers, but Riki surprised him once more: he called for a test of strength. Misawa was suspicious, but went carefully in. Lo and behold, Choshu gave fair play, and even started overpowering Misawa. But the Emerald One reversed the arm lock, before sending Choshu off of the ropes.
The men engaged in a criss-cross sequence, until Misawa suddenly stopped himself, and clocked Choshu with an elbow! Riki Choshu got up, nodded at Misawa, and an elbow-off ensued! Misawa won this one easily, once more sending Riki to the mat, and then he chained together a few of his classic moves: a senton, a springboard crossbody out of the corner, and a running jumping corkscrew clothesline finished the combo.
Choshu however managed to kick Mitsuharu in the gut, before suplexing him in the middle of the ring. He lifted Misawa for another one, but the Emerald Warrior landed behind him, and men traded standing switches before the referee stopped them, as they were leaning on the ropes. Choshu swung his right hand, but Misawa ducked, backdropping him outside the ring.
The crowd clapped, as Misawa ran the ropes, and landed a suicide elbow on his pesky opponent. With Choshu visibly reeling at ringside, Mitsuharu went for a Tiger Driver on the outside, and the crowd exploded! But the cheers were soon snuffed out, as Riki backdropped Misawa. He did not mind the crowd’s boos; with eyes full of focus, and perhaps hatred, he exposed the unforgiving concrete, and picked Misawa up for a brainbuster on it!
Luckily, the Green Warrior countered, and climbed the apron, looking to enter the ring… but Choshu swept his legs under him, and Misawa landed head first on the hard apron. Rolling him in the ring, Choshu pinned his hurt opponent. Even though Mitsuharu kicked out, Choshu showed no signs of desperation – he lifted Misawa up, and planted his head into the mat with a brain shattering piledriver. Out of it, he got a two and a half count! Still The Bastard persevered, rolling Misawa back out of the ring… to the ruthless concrete floor. He prepared another piledriver on it! But Mitsuharu once more pushed Choshu off, before laying atop of the apron, again too tired to roll in the relative safety of the ring. The ruthless Choshu followed once more, like a starving hyena preying on his bleeding victim, as he met him on the apron.
But it was all a ploy by Misawa! He was playing possum, and managed to elbow Choshu’s jaw, before locking in a waistlock. The crowd erupted as Misawa performed a match, hell, career ending German Suplex off of the apron… right on the concrete floor that Choshu himself exposed! People in attendance were unglued as he rolled Riki inside the ring, covering him, surely for the win. And somehow, by nothing but sheer instinct, Choshu had kicked out at two and three bloody quarters!
The stoic Misawa did not yield; he quickly hit his Tiger Driver on the almost unconscious Choshu! A one, and a two followed, but a third slap of the ref’s hand was not heard. Choshu had placed his left leg on the bottom rope, effectively stopping the pin count. Misawa still did not yield – as he took a step back in his game, and climbed the ropes. Choshu had gotten up, and stopped Misawa, before preparing for a superplex. Misawa tried to break out of it, and as both men teethered on the turnbuckles, Choshu stepped over the top rope, and without showing any mercy or remorse for himself or his foe, he delivered that damn superplex. Out of the ring, right on the concrete outside!
This sent the entire crowd in an audible hush, as the referee, as shocked as anyone, started administering the ring-out count. As the 15 count was nearing, Choshu was seen moving on the concrete. At 16, he was on his knees. At 17, he managed to roll inside of the ring, before laying flat, with the wind knocked out of him. Count was 18, and 19 still, and as Higuchi the ref was about to count the 20, and throw this match out, his jaw hit the floor. His hands stopped mid-air, and the hard camera shook, as the crowd witnessed the impossible: Misawa had beaten the count!
Choshu was unaware of this, and as he came to his senses, he noticed Misawa in the middle of the ring. On his knees, utterly spent, inhumanely hurt, recklessly violated by the sheer unmercifulness of human hatred; but still, unbeaten. Still alive.
It was any man’s game from then on.
Both men needed a good half of a minute to get on their feet. Choshu tried to lift Misawa up, but he was too spent himself. The warriors tumbled down once more, but Choshu started throwing right hands while they were still both on their knees, desperately trying to stand up, but their legs were not able to comply. Choshu continued punching as they both got up; Misawa took the shots, as his eyes were half-glazed over. Another punch by Choshu, and Mitsuharu’s legs shook. Still he stayed up, and Riki threw another punch, before mustering his last watt of power to run the ropes. He then swung a lariat – but his arm found nothing but thin air. His jaw however, found the most devastating weapon of all: Misawa’s elbow. Choshu staggered and bounced off of the ropes, and he was greeted by a roaring elbow. His body spun 180 degrees on the vertical axis, as he bounced off the ropes again, this time chest first, and the back of his head was violated with another elbow from Misawa.
The crowd was screaming their collective guts and hearts out; Choshu tried to get up, but he staggered, visibly concussed, and as he swung one last desperate shot, he missed, and fell flat on his behind. He was sitting on the mat, barely able to draw in short breaths, but he was up. Mitsuharu Misawa was standing on his feet, eyes still glazed over. He found it within himself, with his body beat even beyond the capability to feel the adrenaline rush. And perhaps out of sheer instinct of the fighting spirit, and nothing else, he lunged at the back of Choshu’s head one final time – delivering the ultimate elbow.
A three count and a bell sound was heard, and as medical staff quickly rushed to apply the ice packs, it took a while before any man got up. Alas, the man who did was the winner: Emerald Warrior, All Japan’s finest, Mitsuharu Misawa, was back from the dead. His opponent, the leader of the mighty Ishingun, the one they called Bastard, was still unresponsive. As Spartan X played on the PA system, it was almost entirely snuffed out by the sheer strength of the four and a half thousand people, who celebrated their hero. And with this cacophony of sound, the video feed slowly faded to black.
*****
Pacific League Night 8 results:
Jumbo Tsuruta def Tiger Mask (12:27)
Toshiaki Kawada def Gran Hamada (07:04)
Tiger Mask def Genichiro Tenryu (11:38)
Mitsuharu Misawa def Riki Choshu (26:30)
Pacific League table (following Night 8):
Wrestler: Points:
Genichiro Tenryu 18
Riki Choshu 18
Mitsuharu Misawa 18
Jumbo Tsuruta 16
Akira Taue 9
Toshiaki Kawada 9
Tiger Mask 6
Gran Hamada 4
Hiroshima Prefecture.
Japan.
---------------------------------------
„Cladded by the bright lights of the great city of Hiroshima, and the cheers and jeers of the fourty five hundred strong, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly Kenji Wakabayashi welcomes you to our eighth night of the Pacific League! We have prepared four great matches for you, and they will be broken up by a major announcement from our interim PWF Commissioner, Frank Goodish. Before we welcome our competitors, here’s a quick Pacific League table recap!”
Wrestler: Points:
Genichiro Tenryu 18
Riki Choshu 18
Mitsuharu Misawa 15
Jumbo Tsuruta 13
Akira Taue 9
Toshiaki Kawada 6
Gran Hamada 4
Satoru Sayama/Tiger Mask 3
„That top of the table seems to be getting pretty crowded and unpredictable even to the keenest of eyes. It’s anyone’s guess between Misawa, Choshu and Tenryu. But as we all have witnessed on the last show, Genichiro Tenryu had jumped ship from Baba’s Battalion to the Ishingun, joining the Bastard Choshu. If you’ll let your ol’ announcer be frank for a sec: you just know shenanigans are afoot, and if that no-good Army can fix some results, you know they will! But perhaps Misawa can pull a miracle off, and surprise everyone tonight. But let’s get to Ryu Nakata, and let him announce tonight’s first match!”
#1 Jumbo Tsuruta vs Tiger Mask:
As the bell rang, two men were donning concerned looks on their faces. They knew they were all on the same side of this company sized rivalry, but alas, they knew they had to face each other in the League, and put on a banger. It’s what Baba would have wanted. A handshake followed by a clap from the crowd, and a lock up ensued. Two men were seen exchanging wrestling holds, with Tiger Mask wrestling circles around Jumbo, but the big man was too powerful and shook off the junior heavyweight’s offense easily.
Tsuruta scooped the Tiger up, and launched him with a Fallaway Slam. Jumbo then ran the ropes, looking for a big swinging elbow drop, but Tiger Mask evaded, before scaling the buckles. Off of it, he struck the big man with a missile dropkick, putting him on the mat! A cover was applied, but Tsuruta had kicked out. Tiger Mask knew he had the advantage in the high risk maneuvers, so he dived once more off of the top rope; but he got clocked in the moosh with a glorious jumping high knee! A huge pop from the crowd was followed with a cover, but Tiger had found it within himself to kick out.
Jumbo was up first; and he sent out a loud OH! to the crowd, and as he turned away from his opponent, he faced the ropes, preparing to run them for the rebound lariat as the lighter opponent finally got up. But Jumbo surprised both him, and the crowd, by explosively turning his body for a short-arm lariat instead, driving Tiger’s head into the mat.
The lack of the momentum on the lariat however, was not enough to put the masked wrestler away. Jumbo knew he had to land the big, proper one, even though he did not want to hurt his fellow Battalion member any more than necessary. Alas, he ran the ropes, and swung his arm at Tiger Mask: but the junior heavyweight ducked, before locking in a double underhook from the behind, and the entire crowd gasped as Tiger Mask delivered a picture-perfect Bridging Tiger Suplex on the hundred pound heavier opponent! Surely, enough for a three count!
But at the very last millisecond, Jumbo managed to push out of the bridging pin attempt. Tiger Mask was still very much in control, and he remembered his advantage: his speed. Scalling the ropes, he lifted his hands up in the air, and delivered a beautiful Diving Headbutt. This was the move he learned from his most famous rival, the explosive Dynamite Kid. This one was however enough for a two count only. But Tiger did not give up! Remembering his old rival, he mustered all his remaining strength, and he lifted Jumbo up on his shoulders for a Tombstone Piledriver! But Tsuruta was seen kicking his legs, and shifting his weight; and he managed to land right behind Tiger Mask, before swiftly planting him with a Back Drop Driver. He managed to keep a bridging position on it, and it was enough…
For a full three count this time! Two men shook hands once more, and not much joy was shown by either man; for a true foe, the mighty Ishingun, were already getting up for their next match, as Jumbo and Tiger left the ring.
#2 Toshiaki Kawada vs Gran Hamada:
As the boos rained on the two treacherous men, Hamada was seen grabbing the mic. He first hushed the booing crowd, which of course led the people to jeer louder. But as they calmed down, Hamada donned a concerned expression, before telling Kawada: “We’re usually partners, but now we must fight. And I won’t lie, years haven’t been kind to the ol’ Hamada, but you, Toshiaki-san, just entered your prime. I’mma be frank, I’m afraid you’re gonna kick my face in”.
Toshiaki huffed, and pointed at the veteran to put the damn mic down and fight. Begrudgingly, Hamada complied, and Kawada went in for the lock up. But Hamada performed an evasive roll! Toshiaki huffed once more, and went for the grapple again, and Hamada rolled once more. This continued until the point of comedy, with Kawada chasing the older opponent around the ring, and Hamada continuously rolling away. The crowd, usually ready to boo the men, now seemed confused; perhaps even slightly amused by the performance.
However, Kawada managed to kick Hamada in the gut, before irish whipping him off the ropes. Hamada jumped over him, before rolling himself… into a literal ball. The British wrestling pundits knew this position as The Lady of the Lake. Kawada had no time for such foolery. He tried to pin the Hamada-ball, but it was not possible. He continued rolling his veteran opponent around the ring, but his shoulders seemed to be magically off the ground at each pin attempt. Kawada grunted angrily, and charged for a penalty kick… but he was stopped, perhaps by mercy, as Hamada whimpered at the ensuing kick. Big eyes of the poor old man looked at Toshiaki, as he stopped himself, perhaps taking pity at the old man, before having a eureka moment.
Toshiaki unfolded his tapewrist, and tied Hamada’s hands and feet together tightly. He then proceeded to roll the Hamada-ball out of the ring. Unable to free himself out of the tape, the referee counted Hamada out, awarding the victory to Toshiaki.
Kawada then left the ringside area, with a disgusted look on his face, and Hamada-ball was also removed somehow, though the eye of the camera did not catch this, and perhaps for the better.
***
Before the next match, PWF Commissioner Frank Goodish came out, and welcomed the Hiroshima crowd. He then proceeded to present a legend of American and Japanese wrestling: Dory Funk Jr.
The Funkster was seen sporting a blue blazer with a red, white and blue tie, and carried a navy blue bag under his left shoulder. He then greeted the clapping crowd:
“Pacific League has been a doozie so far, wasn’t it!? But as many of you may have noticed, many gaijins have been revealed on the official AJPW roster, and still have not wrestled. Fear not, good people, for I am hear to introduce you to… the Atlantic ‘Rasslin Connection!
Now, ARC, for short, will be AJPW’s other brand, complementing the native PWF. It will feature the best wrestlers on the coasts of the other great ocean, the Atlantic: the Americans and the British. And they will all compete for this…”
Dory unveiled the blue-leathered belt with a silver plate, donned with a great eagle clutching the banners saying Atlantic ‘Rasslin Connection Heavyweight Champion. He then continued, saying that the wrestlers will face off in a unique kind of a tournament - the Atlantic Cup. This tournament will feature four groups of four wrestlers facing in a round-robin format, and the two best of each group will proceed to the knockout phase: an eight-man elimination tournament, the winner of which will be the first ever ARC Heavyweight Champion.
The crowd clapped the commissioners of the two brands, Goodish and Funk, as the two next Pacific League competitors prepared for their match.
#3 Genichiro Tenryu vs Tiger Mask:
Crowd applauded the spent Tiger Mask after his gruelling bout against Tsuruta, and they cheered him on for his second match; as soon as the treacherous Genichiro Tenryu stepped through the curtain, the crowd let him know what they thought of traitors in All Japan. Deeply assured of his victory, he smirked at the crowd, convinced in triumph, as a tired Tiger took a deep breath, never taking his focus off of the bigger man.
As soon as Tiger went in for a lock up, Tenryu kicked him in the gut. A barrage of suplexes hurt the masked hero even more, and these were followed with frequent covers, as Tenryu tried to not only hurt, but gas out the exhausted man even more. Suplexes continued, until Genichiro went for a back drop to drive this match to a close… but the athletic Tiger Mask shifted his body, and landed a lateral press on Tenryu! Crowd erupted at this counter, which produced a deep two count.
Tiger went for an irish whip, only to be reversed by Genichiro, sending the masked man into the corner, and running at him, but Tiger Mask put his feet up, kicking his opponent, before quickly landing a missile dropkick off the second rope. Tiger Mask clapped and had the crowd behind him; but as he ran the ropes again, a kitchen sink by Tenryu sent Tiger flipping inside out, as he clutched at his abdomen. Tenryu’s expression was serious: he was not gonna let Tiger Mask get any more space. Russian legsweep was followed by a DDT, and surely, Tenryu had this one in the bag.
Alas, the masked vigilante kicked out! The roar from the crowd was quickly snuffed out by two more vicious, head-dropping DDTs! Tiger kicked out once again! Tenryu was now livid, and so was the crowd. He waited and begged for Tiger to get up, and he jumped in the air for a Gamengiri. But this was a mistake, as the smaller man evaded, and landed a spinning wheel kick off his own, but did not have enough energy to cover the opponent. Genichiro slowly got up first, and pointed his look to the entrance ramp. And surely, out of the backstage area, rumbling could be heard, followed by the great black curtains splitting. And out came… JUMBO TSURUTA!
Tenryu looked on in disbelief and anger! Jumbo pointed at Tenryu, threatening to decapitate him. This distraction was well placed, as Tiger mask performed an O’Connor roll from the back! Barely a kick out. Off of the ropes the masked one bounced, only to be caught with a big boot from Tenryu. As Tenryu was preparing for a powerbomb, Jumbo jumped on the apron. He continued jawing at Tenryu, distracting him with threats. Tiger Mask jumped on Tenryu’s back from the rear, into an electric chair position. Tenryu went to drop him head first in the top buckle, but Tiger held himself on with his hands, before pushing off, transitioning atop of Tenryu’s shoulders, and reaching down into a sunset flip. He bridged out of this position with a jacknife cover, and a one, a two count, and… Tiger Mask got the three!
Jumbo and Tiger celebrated in the ring, surrounding Tenryu. At this point, the entire Ishingun ran out, and the soldiers of the Army and the Battalion all braced themselves. But Spartan X then started playing, and Mitsuharu Misawa ran out to the pop from the crowd. The first man to take initiative was, interestingly enough, the referee Joe Higuchi. He threw everyone out to the back, except for two men about to clash: Mitsuharu Misawa and Riki Choshu. Battalion refused to leave until the rest of the Ishingun did, and Choshu’s Army all looked at their leader. He nodded, sending everyone away. As the ring cleared, the men prepared for this final match of the Pacific League!
#4 Mitsuharu Misawa vs Riki Choshu:
“It has come to this”, Wakabayashi called, “the last match of the Pacific League. If Choshu wins, he wins the League!”. As the bell rang, Misawa was ready to start throwing haymakers, but Riki surprised him once more: he called for a test of strength. Misawa was suspicious, but went carefully in. Lo and behold, Choshu gave fair play, and even started overpowering Misawa. But the Emerald One reversed the arm lock, before sending Choshu off of the ropes.
The men engaged in a criss-cross sequence, until Misawa suddenly stopped himself, and clocked Choshu with an elbow! Riki Choshu got up, nodded at Misawa, and an elbow-off ensued! Misawa won this one easily, once more sending Riki to the mat, and then he chained together a few of his classic moves: a senton, a springboard crossbody out of the corner, and a running jumping corkscrew clothesline finished the combo.
Choshu however managed to kick Mitsuharu in the gut, before suplexing him in the middle of the ring. He lifted Misawa for another one, but the Emerald Warrior landed behind him, and men traded standing switches before the referee stopped them, as they were leaning on the ropes. Choshu swung his right hand, but Misawa ducked, backdropping him outside the ring.
The crowd clapped, as Misawa ran the ropes, and landed a suicide elbow on his pesky opponent. With Choshu visibly reeling at ringside, Mitsuharu went for a Tiger Driver on the outside, and the crowd exploded! But the cheers were soon snuffed out, as Riki backdropped Misawa. He did not mind the crowd’s boos; with eyes full of focus, and perhaps hatred, he exposed the unforgiving concrete, and picked Misawa up for a brainbuster on it!
Luckily, the Green Warrior countered, and climbed the apron, looking to enter the ring… but Choshu swept his legs under him, and Misawa landed head first on the hard apron. Rolling him in the ring, Choshu pinned his hurt opponent. Even though Mitsuharu kicked out, Choshu showed no signs of desperation – he lifted Misawa up, and planted his head into the mat with a brain shattering piledriver. Out of it, he got a two and a half count! Still The Bastard persevered, rolling Misawa back out of the ring… to the ruthless concrete floor. He prepared another piledriver on it! But Mitsuharu once more pushed Choshu off, before laying atop of the apron, again too tired to roll in the relative safety of the ring. The ruthless Choshu followed once more, like a starving hyena preying on his bleeding victim, as he met him on the apron.
But it was all a ploy by Misawa! He was playing possum, and managed to elbow Choshu’s jaw, before locking in a waistlock. The crowd erupted as Misawa performed a match, hell, career ending German Suplex off of the apron… right on the concrete floor that Choshu himself exposed! People in attendance were unglued as he rolled Riki inside the ring, covering him, surely for the win. And somehow, by nothing but sheer instinct, Choshu had kicked out at two and three bloody quarters!
The stoic Misawa did not yield; he quickly hit his Tiger Driver on the almost unconscious Choshu! A one, and a two followed, but a third slap of the ref’s hand was not heard. Choshu had placed his left leg on the bottom rope, effectively stopping the pin count. Misawa still did not yield – as he took a step back in his game, and climbed the ropes. Choshu had gotten up, and stopped Misawa, before preparing for a superplex. Misawa tried to break out of it, and as both men teethered on the turnbuckles, Choshu stepped over the top rope, and without showing any mercy or remorse for himself or his foe, he delivered that damn superplex. Out of the ring, right on the concrete outside!
This sent the entire crowd in an audible hush, as the referee, as shocked as anyone, started administering the ring-out count. As the 15 count was nearing, Choshu was seen moving on the concrete. At 16, he was on his knees. At 17, he managed to roll inside of the ring, before laying flat, with the wind knocked out of him. Count was 18, and 19 still, and as Higuchi the ref was about to count the 20, and throw this match out, his jaw hit the floor. His hands stopped mid-air, and the hard camera shook, as the crowd witnessed the impossible: Misawa had beaten the count!
Choshu was unaware of this, and as he came to his senses, he noticed Misawa in the middle of the ring. On his knees, utterly spent, inhumanely hurt, recklessly violated by the sheer unmercifulness of human hatred; but still, unbeaten. Still alive.
It was any man’s game from then on.
Both men needed a good half of a minute to get on their feet. Choshu tried to lift Misawa up, but he was too spent himself. The warriors tumbled down once more, but Choshu started throwing right hands while they were still both on their knees, desperately trying to stand up, but their legs were not able to comply. Choshu continued punching as they both got up; Misawa took the shots, as his eyes were half-glazed over. Another punch by Choshu, and Mitsuharu’s legs shook. Still he stayed up, and Riki threw another punch, before mustering his last watt of power to run the ropes. He then swung a lariat – but his arm found nothing but thin air. His jaw however, found the most devastating weapon of all: Misawa’s elbow. Choshu staggered and bounced off of the ropes, and he was greeted by a roaring elbow. His body spun 180 degrees on the vertical axis, as he bounced off the ropes again, this time chest first, and the back of his head was violated with another elbow from Misawa.
The crowd was screaming their collective guts and hearts out; Choshu tried to get up, but he staggered, visibly concussed, and as he swung one last desperate shot, he missed, and fell flat on his behind. He was sitting on the mat, barely able to draw in short breaths, but he was up. Mitsuharu Misawa was standing on his feet, eyes still glazed over. He found it within himself, with his body beat even beyond the capability to feel the adrenaline rush. And perhaps out of sheer instinct of the fighting spirit, and nothing else, he lunged at the back of Choshu’s head one final time – delivering the ultimate elbow.
A three count and a bell sound was heard, and as medical staff quickly rushed to apply the ice packs, it took a while before any man got up. Alas, the man who did was the winner: Emerald Warrior, All Japan’s finest, Mitsuharu Misawa, was back from the dead. His opponent, the leader of the mighty Ishingun, the one they called Bastard, was still unresponsive. As Spartan X played on the PA system, it was almost entirely snuffed out by the sheer strength of the four and a half thousand people, who celebrated their hero. And with this cacophony of sound, the video feed slowly faded to black.
*****
Pacific League Night 8 results:
Jumbo Tsuruta def Tiger Mask (12:27)
Toshiaki Kawada def Gran Hamada (07:04)
Tiger Mask def Genichiro Tenryu (11:38)
Mitsuharu Misawa def Riki Choshu (26:30)
Pacific League table (following Night 8):
Wrestler: Points:
Genichiro Tenryu 18
Riki Choshu 18
Mitsuharu Misawa 18
Jumbo Tsuruta 16
Akira Taue 9
Toshiaki Kawada 9
Tiger Mask 6
Gran Hamada 4
