Post by Jeff L. on Oct 3, 2024 16:58:16 GMT -5
Terminus:
• a final point in space or time; an end or extremity.
“It was to end. Days, weeks, months of unrelenting, exhausting fighting had pushed brave, honest men beyond their capacities. This long fight, this soul-sucking, mind-crushing struggle had brought out the worst in some: betrayal, treachery, evil, all had poisoned their souls and turned them bitter, hellbent on destruction… Yet others it inspired to do better, to bring out their best and push beyond their physical and mental limits. And in a blaze, hell… an explosion of glory in front of sixteen thousand in the great Budokan, it will all come to an end. This is how the struggle finishes, this is how the battle ends. This is Pacific League… Terminus!
The sixteen thousands of the Nippon Budokan, one of the most famous Japanese venues cheered atop of their longs at the opening package. The commentator, Kenji Wakabayashi, welcomed the TV audience. And before he had the chance to present tonight’s matches, a scruffy, yet endeared face entered the ring. The PWF Commissioner, Frank Goodish, thanked the sell-out crowd for visiting, before introducing the three men atop of the Pacific League Table.
PWF Finals – Official Coin Toss:
Riki Choshu was more than confident in the result of the coin toss; hell, with Ishingun in his corner, and Tenryu, another finalist who was also in the ranks of Ishingun, it was already game over, if you were to ask Choshu. As Goodish was making last announcements, and rules of the unusual three-man coin toss, Choshu interrupted him by stepping to the middle of the ring. He took a coin out of his trunks, and called it. He then asked for Misawa to step up, and the Emerald Warrior accepted. Riki tossed the coin, his face still smirking confidently as the coin turned and rolled in mid-air, before it ultimately landed, right in the firm grasp of The Bastard.
“HAH! I told you it’s all over, Mitsu-san! I won. And hell, to show you the size of my selflessness, I allow you to toss next. Genichiro, my friend, call a side, and Misawa will toss. It would only be fair to allow him this one moment of fairness.”
Tenryu called tails, and Misawa tossed. Riki’s smirk turned to a maniacal laughter as the coin landed in Misawa’s hand. And Mitsuharu held his fist clutched with the coin in it, while locking eyes with Tenryu; both men’s faces were stoic, yet uncertain, with Choshu laughing between them, all the while. Misawa then finally opened his palm.
And tails it was. Misawa lost both tosses, and was to fight in the first match. It was now time for Choshu and Tenryu, two big names of the Ishingun, to engage in a toss off. Riki called tails the moment Misawa handed him the coin, and Tenryu agreed on head, though suspiciously. As the confident Choshu tossed, the coin turned in the air, before getting snatched mid-air by a strong, wrinkled hand. The crowd popped! As this was the hand of the commissioner, Frank Goodish.
“It occurred to me, Mr. Choshu, that this is not a sanctioned coin. Tell you what, I’mma put this one in my pocket, and how about you toss… this one?”
Goodish handed an American dollar coin to Choshu, and even allowed him to call it. A nervous look flew over Choshu’s face. Hesitantly, Choshu called tails, and then quickly changed his opinon to heads, before finally tossing the coin. As it landed on the floor between Choshu and Tenryu, the coin showed the face of the first President of United States of America, George Washington.
Riki tried to complain that the coin was rigged, and wanted to go best of three, but the commissioner waved him off, before ordering everyone to leave for backstage, except Misawa, Choshu, and Joe Higuchi, the referee. As the men turned to leave, a shock followed: Akira Taue guzzled Misawa, before unexpectedly dropped him with a Nodowa Otoshi! He quickly exited the ring, much to beratement from the commissioner, and the grin of Choshu. Everyone left, and as Misawa was slowly getting to his feet, the match started.
#1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Riki Choshu:
Right off the bell, Choshu ran at Misawa, dropping him with a lariat, to the crowd’s shock. A quick pin was attempted, and Mitsuharu kicked out at two and a half. Riki quickly mounted the wounded Misawa; forearm clubs battered Mitsuharu’s face, drawing blood from his nose, before Higuchi pushed Riki off of him. But still irate, not waiting for his opponent to get up, he tossed Misawa out of the ring, proceeding to work on the wound. Off the guardrail, the apron, and the steel posts he rammed Misawa’s head, and yet Misawa did not fall down. He quickly countered with a vicious elbow strike, dropping Choshu with this one move like a bad habit, before entering the ring.
Referee administered the count; and yet Choshu beat it well before 20. A boo-yay segment ensued, with Misawa winning with his elbows. He prepared for the Tiger Driver, and Choshu pushed him in the referee, before low-blowing the Emerald One. The referee did not see the illegal blow, and administered the pin count. A one, a two, and a two and three quarters later, Misawa’s shoulder was up. Choshu was now beyond rage; he clawed at Misawa’s blood wound, bit his nose, and stomped on his head. A wrestler’s wrestler, who put on a five star performance on the last show, against this exact opponent, was now at his most miserable, his most unhinged. He pushed ol’ Joe the ref once more to the floor, and at this moment, Toshiaki Kawada entered the ring. With all his cruelty, he kicked Misawa’s head so hard, the man was unresponsive. Riki then covered Misawa with a wide, ork-like grin, as the referee came to his senses. Choshu then heard the glorius sound of the ring bell. He threw his hands in the air, celebrating his perceived victory.
But the ref faced him, shaking his head sideways. As the crowd popped, the announcer Ryu Nakata was heard:
“And your winner, proceeding to the finals, by way of disqualification, Mitsuharu Misawa!”
As Misawa was helped to the backstage, to prepare for the finals, Choshu was seen eyeing Kawada with a disappointed look.
As the men cleared the ring, Wakabayashi announced the special guest commentator for the next match. Burning Sword played in the arena, and the fans gave a warm welcome to The Burning One, Kenta Kobashi! He put on the headset:
“Oooh, I am more than happy to be here tonight, on our biggest show yet. A good friend of mine, Misawa, won his match, and now, I’m here to welcome our two debutants, also good friends of mine!”
#2. Kensuke Sasaki vs Jun Akiyama:
As the two new wrestlers made their way to the ring, Kobashi put both men over: “Sasaki is the man who I came up with in the dojo, one of my dearest friends! And Akiyama came a few years later, and I became, I suppose, a sort of a mentor to him. I am blessed to see these two fight here in the Budokan, and they’ll surely put on a banger.”
The bell had already rang, and the two men were already locking up. Sasaki, the bigger man, pushed the slimmer Akiyama across the ring, to the oohs of the crowd. Young Akiyama put on a serious face, and locked back up. His lighter frame allowed him to wrestle around Kensuke, before sweeping his legs, and dropping the big man on his face. Kensuke got agitated, and as Akiyama ran the ropes, ducking the clothesline and big boot attempts from Sasaki, he finally succumbed to a vicious weapon in Sasaki’s arsenal. The gunshot-like sound echoed around the arena, and young Jun fell to the floor clutching his chest. Kensuke Sasaki had chopped him.
Akiyama did not gain any control in this match anymore. To put this long, excruciating story short, welts started forming on Jun’s chest. Sasaki was relentless; he did not allow the young man a fair fight, and he chopped and slapped his chest even when he was laying prone on the floor. This public torture was too much, even for the Tokyo crowd who was used to the ultra-violence from their combat sports. As young Jun tried one last comeback, he was chopped and snapmared to the floor.
Wakabayashi concerningly asked his commentary partner: “Kenta-san, is this how all matches in your dojo look li—KENTA!” Alas, Kobashi was already storming to the ring. He climbed to the apron and yelled at the chop machine, Kensuke Sasaki. “What is your issue, Kensuke?! What the hell is wrong with you?”. Sasaki looked back at Kenta, not speaking a word. He pointed to the fans, the 16 thousand in the Budokan, before at last uttering: "finally".
“…then just get it over with…”, Kenta defeatedly answered. And surely, Sasaki shot his one last chop: to the back of the head of the rookie. A sigh was heard around the arena, and Sasaki pinned Akiyama. A concerned Kobashi flew right in the ring, putting a cold towel around Akiyama’s head. Sasaki demanded his hand raised, to the boos from everyone. As he moved to the ramp, he glanced at the ring. His friend, Kenta, was looking at him with sadness and concern in his eyes; concern for his fallen student, and sadness for his friend and colleague, to see him stoop this low. The first big stage he ever competed on, and Kensuke was already this cruel, this merciless. Then, a voice was heard. It belonged to the young rookie.
“Ken… Kensuke… nothing is settled. We… we fight again. Whenever the next time is, we fight again… I won’t let…”, the young man then clutched his head and laid right back on the floor. His mentor was still by his side, applying the cold towel.
#3. ARC Special Presentation Six Man Tag: Peter Maivia, Afa and Sika vs. Harley Race, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel:
Kenji Wakabayashi was audibly somber after the last match, but he was soon cheered up by the wholesome appearance of the ARC Commissioner, Dory Funk Jr.: “Kenji, my young friend! Now, I’ve seen what you’ve seen, and I’m sure young Akiyama will be fine, he’s a tough kid, I’ll tell you what. To cheer you up, as the guest commentator, and the ambassador of ARC, lemme give the people some good news! Before this six man tag, I am proud to announce the entire brackets of the Atlantic Cup! Now as you know, we will have 16 men, and they will be grouped in four blocks. The four men in their respective blocks will face off in a round robin format, three points for a win, one for draw, none for a loss. But if I can get the guys back to show the brackets… oh here we go, should be seen on the screen for people at home right now!”
The graphic visual of the brackets popped up on the screen:
ATLANTIC CUP GROUP STAGE
Block A Block B Block C Block D
Harley Race Stan Hansen Big Van Vader Peter Maivia
Afa Billy Robinson Bam Bam Bigelow Sika
Jack Briscoe Gerald Briscoe Ray Traylor Wahoo McDaniel
Abdullah the Butcher Bobby Duncum Jr. Gary Albright Johnny Ace
“Some of the best wrestlers in history, hailing from both coasts of the Great Atlantic! Now, after the group stage is done, eight best will proceed to the knockout phase: an 8-man, single elimination tournament, the winner of which will be our first ever Atlantic Rasslin’ Connection Heavyweight Champion! But first things first, I see Maivia and the Wild Samoans are already up there in the ring, here comes Race, The Chief Wahoo joined him, and there’s Hansen!”
“Lord, he’s gotta be careful with that thing!”, the now cheered up Wakabayashi remarked, “that lasso can put someone’s eye out!”
“Ooh, I truly doubt Hansen would ever do anything like that to anyone. He is a bit rowdy, I admit…”
“I beg your pardon, Dory-san, rowdy is an understatement! He’s swinging that thing like he’s blind!”
Dory was seen donning a slightly concerned face, like a child with his hand caught in a cookie jar: “What? Blind?! Nooo… I wonder where you’d get that idea. Don’t be silly, Kenji-san.”
Match started with a handshake between McDaniel and Afa. The Chief was dominant in the first few minutes, but quick tag-work from the Samoans had Wahoo on his feet. The crowd cheered as he tagged in the great Harley Race, whom the Japanese audience welcomed back warmly. Race whipped Sika off the ropes, before bouncing off the ropes himself, and he connected with his High Knee in the middle of the ring! Race covered the Samoan, but the ref waved it off. For Race was not the legal man.
“It seems like Hansen had blind-tagged Race, he’s the legal man!”
“And now, young Kenji, what is that supposed to mean, blind ta--… oh I see, Hansen is legal!”
The Lariat proceeded to knock both Maivia and Afa off the apron, before landing his vicious Western Lariat to Sika. As he closed in to pin the Wild Samoan after the vicious blow, Harley pushed Hansen, resenting the blind tag. The two Americans began to argue, and McDaniel tried to restore peace, only to be attacked by all three Samoans from the back!
The referee tried to restore order, but the chaos was too much. Higuchi threw the match out, as the men proceeded to batter each other. Maivia took out McDaniel, only to be headbutted by Race. The Wild Samoans attacked Race from behind, and ganged up on Stan. But the Unsinkable Battleship stood true to his nickname, as he football tacked Afa, and then proceeded to hit Sika with a Western Lariat. Harley stood behind The Man; he stared him down and pointed downwards, demanding the rowdy man to kneel for the King: but Hansen threw the Texas Longhorn hand gesture, and yelling YOUUUUTH!!!, right in the face of the veteran.
The two men were then surrounded by security, and sent to the back, as the competitors for the next match were announced.
#4. Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue vs Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Mask:
Kawada and Taue were introduced to the ring first, showered with relentless boos from the Budokan. The Army of Ishingun gave its youngest for tonight’s match against the faithful Baba’s Battalion.
“They’re traitors, liars, evil men; they’re the Demons of this Army, if you ask me”, Wakabayashi had no kind words for these two. As he ended his monologue, Tiger Mask entered the ring, much to the cheers from the fans, especially the youngest. Another salvo of cheers was heard, this one even louder, and deeper voiced, it seemed, to salute the arrival of the Ace of All Japan: Jumbo Tsuruta.
Tsuruta wasted no time, he ran straight after this demon army, and singled out the bigger man: Akira Taue. Ace’s clubbing blows punished the Treacherous Titan, and as he found himself on the floor, as Tsuruta proved his veteran status by dropping elbows and knee drops on Taue. Tsuruta sent out a loud OH! to the fans, who responded ubiquitously. He whipped Taue to the ropes, but Akira was caught by Kawada, who tagged in. The young team was already showing their chemistry.
Tsuruta nodded and let Kawada in; the men circled each other, and even though Tsuruta was a better amateur, Kawada swiftly turned this match from an amateur wrestling contest into a pancrase spectacle. He kicked Jumbo’s head, and proceeded to land a big boot, a spin kick, and a wheel kick. Jumbo reeled for a second, and abruptly got up; almost as if Kawada kicked so hard, he unlocked Jumbo’s second form. The ace proceeded to run the ropes, before landing a Thesz Press on Kawada. Taue broke up the pin attempt, and as he was sent back to his corner by the ref, Jumbo tagged in Tiger. The ace realised Baba’s Battalion must also develop tag team chemistry, if they were ever to hope to defeat this unholy army of demons.
Tiger Mask and Toshiaki Kawada then engaged in a battle of kicks; the high-flying, lucha style of graceful kicks were countered with stiff, pancrase-inspired leg strikes, and this was a battle that Toshiaki had won. He tagged in Taue, and the Goliath wasted no time punishing the proverbial David. A Fallaway Slam was followed by an Atomic Press Drop, and the fleeting hope segment from Tiger Mask was soon halted by the Neckbreaker Drop from Taue; this was a move made famous by Giant Baba, and adopted by Jumbo Tsuruta. The message was clear: there’s a new big man in town.
Taue kicked Jumbo off the apron, before landing Nodowa Otoshi on Tiger Mask, for a one, and a two, and instead of a three count pound from the reff, Jumbo was the one who pounded his foot on the back of Taue, breaking the count. As both Taue and Tiger were spent, they each made tags to their respective partners.
Slightly gassed from the constant run-ins to save his partner, Jumbo was on a receiving end of a roundhouse kick from Kawada; bouncing off the ropes, Kawada connected with a big boot to his face. Jumbo fell on his arse, and as he was coming to his senses, Toshiaki connected with a Dangerous Kick! (a running roundhouse kick to a seated opponent). Somehow, Tiger Mask was able to land a Tiger Fly Splash on top of Kawada’s back, as he was pinning Jumbo.
All four men were now in the ring, trading blows. Jumbo proved his dominance once more by big booting Taue. Now the Battalion had surrounded Kawada; Tsuruta held Toshiaki up as a spent Tiger Mask pandered to the crowd from the corner, and ran to land a Running Wheel Kick to Kawada.
But Taue had managed to push Kawada out in the last moment! The Wheel Kick hit Tsuruta! The demons of the army locked eyes: they knew it was now or never. With Tiger down on the floor, Toshiaki lifted Tsuruta up for a Back Drop Driver; and Taue joined him, grabbing Tsuruta by the throat. The two men then hit a brutal tag team combination – a Back Drop Driver and a Nodowa Otoshi at the same time! This brutal Nodowa Driver spiked the 6’5’’ Jumbo Tsuruta on the top of his head. And behold! A one, a two… and a three count followed!
These demons had managed to do the impossible! They had defeated Jumbo Tsuruta, as well as Tiger Mask. The fans were in awe at the performance of the Army; even some claps were heard, before being choked out by the boos, as the realisation had set in. The Army was victorious over The Battalion, and the ultimate battle of the factions, the final showdown of the stables, the war to settle the score, was up next: Misawa versus Tenryu.
--------------------------------
Before the main event, a commercial played for the fans, to bring them a brief rest, and to announce a long awaited motion picture. The commercial promoted the newest kaiju film: Gojira vs Ghidorah. As Ghidorah and Rodan tag teamed Gojira, the fallen monster looked up from the sandy soil to see familiar red boots standing in front of him. They belonged the biggest of the giants, Giant Baba! Baba helped Gojira get up to his feet, and the two fan favorite giants started pounding on the pesky monsters!
The crowd cheered, as Giant Baba was obviously making his recovery, and was well enough to film this commercial. It was only a matter of time before Baba had made his way back to his realm, All Japan Pro Wrestling!
--------------------------------
#5. The Terminus Main Event: Genichiro Tenryu vs Mitsuharu Misawa – PWF Heavyweight Championship:
Genichiro Tenryu appeared at the entrance ramp, backed by the full force of the Ishingun. He took a glance back, and as he faced the Revolutionary Army, Choshu was smiling at him. But Tenryu waved them back. Much to the chagrin of the Demons, and Hamada, they turned back and left. Choshu was irate, but Tenryu was confident: he wanted to face the Emerald Warrior alone. And truly alone he was left, to his own devices, as he made his way down the ramp, waiting for his opponent to pull up.
Misawa’s entrance was a spectacle: Spartan X was turned up to max, and the music meshed with the roar from the 16K of the Budokan, making the hard cam shake. Mitsuharu Misawa entered the ring in his vintage emerald-silver coat, and was showered with green and white streamers, as was the custom in the Far East.
The announcer called, the ref pointed, the bell rang. The men locked up. The push and shove commenced, before it broke up. The wrestlers gave each other a significant look; the PWF Championship was on the line. But even more perhaps, the dominance of the groups was on the line, The Army versus The Battalion.
The men locked up once more: despite Misawa’s amateur acumen, Tenryu wanted to beat him in every style possible, to prove he is the single, undisputed, number one. Misawa however slipped out of the back mount position, catching Tenryu’s arm, and slowly forcing the bigger man to reach for the ropes.
Misawa had won the amateur contest: it was at that point that Tenryu threw kicks. First to the gut, then to the face, Tenryu won the kicking match. Misawa tried to throw a spin kick, but Genichiro caught the leg, and threw Misawa on the back of his head, and even scored a two count on it.
Tenryu was confident, and waited for Misawa to get up. He then ran off the ropes, and on the rebound, The Emerald One struck him with a big elbow, sending Genichiro to the ringside floor. Misawa was cheered on by the fans: off the ropes he ran, looking for a Suicide Elbow.
But Tenryu moved! And instead of spilling on the floor, Misawa caught himself on the ropes, and skinned the cat, before wrecking ball dropkicking Tenryu. Waiting for him to get up, Misawa then performed a plancha, and with his midsection he hit… the unforgiving concrete floor.
Tenryu rolled Misawa back in, now back in control. The battle of the stables was now in its finishing phase. Tenryu knew it - The Army was to be victorious over The Battalion! To celebrate the occasion, he locked in the Sasori Gatame, the scorpion hold of Choshu, the Army’s leader. For long Misawa resisted and strained, contorting his spine in unhuman ways in search of the oasitic save of the ropes; at last, he found it, and grabbed the bottom rope. But the damage may have already been done.
Tenryu was in disbelief that the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the entire Ishingun, Sasori Gatame, was not enough to put Misawa down. He argued with the ref, and Misawa used this time to rise up. He kicked Tenryu in the gut, and whipped him off the ropes, and then ran at the oncoming man, hitting the Neckbreaker Drop, giving a nod to Baba, the spirit of The Battalion. And enough it was, for a two, and a two… and a half.
Both soldiers arose; fighting for their respective stables, they realised not even the most powerful weapons in their stables’ arsenal were enough to put the other man down. They were on their own - no moves borrowed from other men could help them, no seconds awaited by the ring to give them refreshment: it was only the two of them, and a crowd of sixteen thousand cheering them on. It has come to this: this single trial by combat, between two single soldiers.
Warriors faced off one final time, bracing themselves for the last hoorah. Misawa hit the elbow, and landed a Tiger Driver on Tenryu. The big man barely kicked out at two and ¾. Mitsuharu ran the ropes, to land the final elbow; but he was turned inside out by Genichiro’s lariat. A cover later, and a three… was almost administered, as Misawa had rolled a shoulder up from the mat. Another lariat attempt by Tenryu was tried, only for Mitsuharu to duck, and lock in a double underhook from behind; a mind shattering Tiger Suplex followed, and Misawa bridged for the count. Barely holding on, the bridge held for a one count. It survived the two count. The three was as close as the gates of heaven for a virgin; alas, Misawa’s battered midsection gave out before the three, and he released the bridging cover, collapsing and clutching at his abdomen.
Tenryu had used this time to recover, kicking Misawa’s head in as he got up; Tenryu calculated, and decided to take a big risk. He gave Misawa some space, and lunged high up in the air, as the point of his foot stabbed at the previously bloodied nose of Misawa. The Gamengiri had landed! Surely, Tenryu had won.
But he did not. The big toe of Misawa was on the bottom rope, annulling the pin attempt. Tenryu still had some advantage, and thus he climbed the ropes. Off of them, he soared backwards, suicidally, as the last kamikaze soars upon the enemy, to deliver one last, killing blow. And yet the elbow’s target was the unforgiving ring mat.
Screaming in pain at his elbow, Tenryu was unable to rise to his feet. But he was. The Emerald Warrior, the last bastion of Baba’s Battalion, as if the faction warfare even mattered now, was up. He took one last deep breath to drag Tenryu in the Tiger Driver position. Lifted him he did, halfway only though, as his battered back gave out. The man who was already through one match this night, who took massive hits from other three men of Ishingun, now finally succumbed to exhaustion.
Wrestlers were down for a long time; only after a minute did Tenryu begin to get up. With his right elbow still hurting, he swung a left lariat at Misawa. Another left lariat ensued: and Misawa was down for a two point ninety-nine. With the last atom of power, and last monad of willpower, Genichiro threw the last right hand lariat, completely disregarding his busted right arm. He knocked Mitsuharu’s head off of his shoulders, and fell down on him.
One. Two count. Mercifully perhaps, but slowly and deliberately nonetheless, Higuchi finally pounded the ground for the decisive three count.
When they lifted Tenryu off the ground, he was still holding his right elbow. Ishingun presented him with her; the Pacific Wrestling Federation’s Heavyweight Championship. For a moment the victor stopped, as if the 16 thousand were not even present. He gazed at her, this beauty of glittering gold and royal silver, coated in the crimson leather. Nothing else mattered; not the broken elbow, not the fallen opponent by his feet: not even the friends of The Army. Only her. Only him. And they embraced – the battle-hardened champion, and the beautiful championship. Genichiro Tenryu, and the PWF Heavyweight Title.
And not even the 16K of the Budokan booing him, nor the jealous eye of The Bastard mattered: the champion was crowned, and the feed faded to black.
Pacific League - Terminus results:
Mitsuharu Misawa def Riki Choshu by DQ (13:35)
Kensuke Sasaki def Jun Akiyama (10:11)
Peter Maivia, Afa and Sika vs. Harley Race, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel - no contest (08:25)
Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue def Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Mask (16:40)
Genichiro Tenryu def Mitsuharu Misawa – PWF Heavyweight Championship (21:19)
• a final point in space or time; an end or extremity.
“It was to end. Days, weeks, months of unrelenting, exhausting fighting had pushed brave, honest men beyond their capacities. This long fight, this soul-sucking, mind-crushing struggle had brought out the worst in some: betrayal, treachery, evil, all had poisoned their souls and turned them bitter, hellbent on destruction… Yet others it inspired to do better, to bring out their best and push beyond their physical and mental limits. And in a blaze, hell… an explosion of glory in front of sixteen thousand in the great Budokan, it will all come to an end. This is how the struggle finishes, this is how the battle ends. This is Pacific League… Terminus!
The sixteen thousands of the Nippon Budokan, one of the most famous Japanese venues cheered atop of their longs at the opening package. The commentator, Kenji Wakabayashi, welcomed the TV audience. And before he had the chance to present tonight’s matches, a scruffy, yet endeared face entered the ring. The PWF Commissioner, Frank Goodish, thanked the sell-out crowd for visiting, before introducing the three men atop of the Pacific League Table.
PWF Finals – Official Coin Toss:
Riki Choshu was more than confident in the result of the coin toss; hell, with Ishingun in his corner, and Tenryu, another finalist who was also in the ranks of Ishingun, it was already game over, if you were to ask Choshu. As Goodish was making last announcements, and rules of the unusual three-man coin toss, Choshu interrupted him by stepping to the middle of the ring. He took a coin out of his trunks, and called it. He then asked for Misawa to step up, and the Emerald Warrior accepted. Riki tossed the coin, his face still smirking confidently as the coin turned and rolled in mid-air, before it ultimately landed, right in the firm grasp of The Bastard.
“HAH! I told you it’s all over, Mitsu-san! I won. And hell, to show you the size of my selflessness, I allow you to toss next. Genichiro, my friend, call a side, and Misawa will toss. It would only be fair to allow him this one moment of fairness.”
Tenryu called tails, and Misawa tossed. Riki’s smirk turned to a maniacal laughter as the coin landed in Misawa’s hand. And Mitsuharu held his fist clutched with the coin in it, while locking eyes with Tenryu; both men’s faces were stoic, yet uncertain, with Choshu laughing between them, all the while. Misawa then finally opened his palm.
And tails it was. Misawa lost both tosses, and was to fight in the first match. It was now time for Choshu and Tenryu, two big names of the Ishingun, to engage in a toss off. Riki called tails the moment Misawa handed him the coin, and Tenryu agreed on head, though suspiciously. As the confident Choshu tossed, the coin turned in the air, before getting snatched mid-air by a strong, wrinkled hand. The crowd popped! As this was the hand of the commissioner, Frank Goodish.
“It occurred to me, Mr. Choshu, that this is not a sanctioned coin. Tell you what, I’mma put this one in my pocket, and how about you toss… this one?”
Goodish handed an American dollar coin to Choshu, and even allowed him to call it. A nervous look flew over Choshu’s face. Hesitantly, Choshu called tails, and then quickly changed his opinon to heads, before finally tossing the coin. As it landed on the floor between Choshu and Tenryu, the coin showed the face of the first President of United States of America, George Washington.
Riki tried to complain that the coin was rigged, and wanted to go best of three, but the commissioner waved him off, before ordering everyone to leave for backstage, except Misawa, Choshu, and Joe Higuchi, the referee. As the men turned to leave, a shock followed: Akira Taue guzzled Misawa, before unexpectedly dropped him with a Nodowa Otoshi! He quickly exited the ring, much to beratement from the commissioner, and the grin of Choshu. Everyone left, and as Misawa was slowly getting to his feet, the match started.
#1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Riki Choshu:
Right off the bell, Choshu ran at Misawa, dropping him with a lariat, to the crowd’s shock. A quick pin was attempted, and Mitsuharu kicked out at two and a half. Riki quickly mounted the wounded Misawa; forearm clubs battered Mitsuharu’s face, drawing blood from his nose, before Higuchi pushed Riki off of him. But still irate, not waiting for his opponent to get up, he tossed Misawa out of the ring, proceeding to work on the wound. Off the guardrail, the apron, and the steel posts he rammed Misawa’s head, and yet Misawa did not fall down. He quickly countered with a vicious elbow strike, dropping Choshu with this one move like a bad habit, before entering the ring.
Referee administered the count; and yet Choshu beat it well before 20. A boo-yay segment ensued, with Misawa winning with his elbows. He prepared for the Tiger Driver, and Choshu pushed him in the referee, before low-blowing the Emerald One. The referee did not see the illegal blow, and administered the pin count. A one, a two, and a two and three quarters later, Misawa’s shoulder was up. Choshu was now beyond rage; he clawed at Misawa’s blood wound, bit his nose, and stomped on his head. A wrestler’s wrestler, who put on a five star performance on the last show, against this exact opponent, was now at his most miserable, his most unhinged. He pushed ol’ Joe the ref once more to the floor, and at this moment, Toshiaki Kawada entered the ring. With all his cruelty, he kicked Misawa’s head so hard, the man was unresponsive. Riki then covered Misawa with a wide, ork-like grin, as the referee came to his senses. Choshu then heard the glorius sound of the ring bell. He threw his hands in the air, celebrating his perceived victory.
But the ref faced him, shaking his head sideways. As the crowd popped, the announcer Ryu Nakata was heard:
“And your winner, proceeding to the finals, by way of disqualification, Mitsuharu Misawa!”
As Misawa was helped to the backstage, to prepare for the finals, Choshu was seen eyeing Kawada with a disappointed look.
As the men cleared the ring, Wakabayashi announced the special guest commentator for the next match. Burning Sword played in the arena, and the fans gave a warm welcome to The Burning One, Kenta Kobashi! He put on the headset:
“Oooh, I am more than happy to be here tonight, on our biggest show yet. A good friend of mine, Misawa, won his match, and now, I’m here to welcome our two debutants, also good friends of mine!”
#2. Kensuke Sasaki vs Jun Akiyama:
As the two new wrestlers made their way to the ring, Kobashi put both men over: “Sasaki is the man who I came up with in the dojo, one of my dearest friends! And Akiyama came a few years later, and I became, I suppose, a sort of a mentor to him. I am blessed to see these two fight here in the Budokan, and they’ll surely put on a banger.”
The bell had already rang, and the two men were already locking up. Sasaki, the bigger man, pushed the slimmer Akiyama across the ring, to the oohs of the crowd. Young Akiyama put on a serious face, and locked back up. His lighter frame allowed him to wrestle around Kensuke, before sweeping his legs, and dropping the big man on his face. Kensuke got agitated, and as Akiyama ran the ropes, ducking the clothesline and big boot attempts from Sasaki, he finally succumbed to a vicious weapon in Sasaki’s arsenal. The gunshot-like sound echoed around the arena, and young Jun fell to the floor clutching his chest. Kensuke Sasaki had chopped him.
Akiyama did not gain any control in this match anymore. To put this long, excruciating story short, welts started forming on Jun’s chest. Sasaki was relentless; he did not allow the young man a fair fight, and he chopped and slapped his chest even when he was laying prone on the floor. This public torture was too much, even for the Tokyo crowd who was used to the ultra-violence from their combat sports. As young Jun tried one last comeback, he was chopped and snapmared to the floor.
Wakabayashi concerningly asked his commentary partner: “Kenta-san, is this how all matches in your dojo look li—KENTA!” Alas, Kobashi was already storming to the ring. He climbed to the apron and yelled at the chop machine, Kensuke Sasaki. “What is your issue, Kensuke?! What the hell is wrong with you?”. Sasaki looked back at Kenta, not speaking a word. He pointed to the fans, the 16 thousand in the Budokan, before at last uttering: "finally".
“…then just get it over with…”, Kenta defeatedly answered. And surely, Sasaki shot his one last chop: to the back of the head of the rookie. A sigh was heard around the arena, and Sasaki pinned Akiyama. A concerned Kobashi flew right in the ring, putting a cold towel around Akiyama’s head. Sasaki demanded his hand raised, to the boos from everyone. As he moved to the ramp, he glanced at the ring. His friend, Kenta, was looking at him with sadness and concern in his eyes; concern for his fallen student, and sadness for his friend and colleague, to see him stoop this low. The first big stage he ever competed on, and Kensuke was already this cruel, this merciless. Then, a voice was heard. It belonged to the young rookie.
“Ken… Kensuke… nothing is settled. We… we fight again. Whenever the next time is, we fight again… I won’t let…”, the young man then clutched his head and laid right back on the floor. His mentor was still by his side, applying the cold towel.
#3. ARC Special Presentation Six Man Tag: Peter Maivia, Afa and Sika vs. Harley Race, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel:
Kenji Wakabayashi was audibly somber after the last match, but he was soon cheered up by the wholesome appearance of the ARC Commissioner, Dory Funk Jr.: “Kenji, my young friend! Now, I’ve seen what you’ve seen, and I’m sure young Akiyama will be fine, he’s a tough kid, I’ll tell you what. To cheer you up, as the guest commentator, and the ambassador of ARC, lemme give the people some good news! Before this six man tag, I am proud to announce the entire brackets of the Atlantic Cup! Now as you know, we will have 16 men, and they will be grouped in four blocks. The four men in their respective blocks will face off in a round robin format, three points for a win, one for draw, none for a loss. But if I can get the guys back to show the brackets… oh here we go, should be seen on the screen for people at home right now!”
The graphic visual of the brackets popped up on the screen:
ATLANTIC CUP GROUP STAGE
Block A Block B Block C Block D
Harley Race Stan Hansen Big Van Vader Peter Maivia
Afa Billy Robinson Bam Bam Bigelow Sika
Jack Briscoe Gerald Briscoe Ray Traylor Wahoo McDaniel
Abdullah the Butcher Bobby Duncum Jr. Gary Albright Johnny Ace
“Some of the best wrestlers in history, hailing from both coasts of the Great Atlantic! Now, after the group stage is done, eight best will proceed to the knockout phase: an 8-man, single elimination tournament, the winner of which will be our first ever Atlantic Rasslin’ Connection Heavyweight Champion! But first things first, I see Maivia and the Wild Samoans are already up there in the ring, here comes Race, The Chief Wahoo joined him, and there’s Hansen!”
“Lord, he’s gotta be careful with that thing!”, the now cheered up Wakabayashi remarked, “that lasso can put someone’s eye out!”
“Ooh, I truly doubt Hansen would ever do anything like that to anyone. He is a bit rowdy, I admit…”
“I beg your pardon, Dory-san, rowdy is an understatement! He’s swinging that thing like he’s blind!”
Dory was seen donning a slightly concerned face, like a child with his hand caught in a cookie jar: “What? Blind?! Nooo… I wonder where you’d get that idea. Don’t be silly, Kenji-san.”
Match started with a handshake between McDaniel and Afa. The Chief was dominant in the first few minutes, but quick tag-work from the Samoans had Wahoo on his feet. The crowd cheered as he tagged in the great Harley Race, whom the Japanese audience welcomed back warmly. Race whipped Sika off the ropes, before bouncing off the ropes himself, and he connected with his High Knee in the middle of the ring! Race covered the Samoan, but the ref waved it off. For Race was not the legal man.
“It seems like Hansen had blind-tagged Race, he’s the legal man!”
“And now, young Kenji, what is that supposed to mean, blind ta--… oh I see, Hansen is legal!”
The Lariat proceeded to knock both Maivia and Afa off the apron, before landing his vicious Western Lariat to Sika. As he closed in to pin the Wild Samoan after the vicious blow, Harley pushed Hansen, resenting the blind tag. The two Americans began to argue, and McDaniel tried to restore peace, only to be attacked by all three Samoans from the back!
The referee tried to restore order, but the chaos was too much. Higuchi threw the match out, as the men proceeded to batter each other. Maivia took out McDaniel, only to be headbutted by Race. The Wild Samoans attacked Race from behind, and ganged up on Stan. But the Unsinkable Battleship stood true to his nickname, as he football tacked Afa, and then proceeded to hit Sika with a Western Lariat. Harley stood behind The Man; he stared him down and pointed downwards, demanding the rowdy man to kneel for the King: but Hansen threw the Texas Longhorn hand gesture, and yelling YOUUUUTH!!!, right in the face of the veteran.
The two men were then surrounded by security, and sent to the back, as the competitors for the next match were announced.
#4. Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue vs Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Mask:
Kawada and Taue were introduced to the ring first, showered with relentless boos from the Budokan. The Army of Ishingun gave its youngest for tonight’s match against the faithful Baba’s Battalion.
“They’re traitors, liars, evil men; they’re the Demons of this Army, if you ask me”, Wakabayashi had no kind words for these two. As he ended his monologue, Tiger Mask entered the ring, much to the cheers from the fans, especially the youngest. Another salvo of cheers was heard, this one even louder, and deeper voiced, it seemed, to salute the arrival of the Ace of All Japan: Jumbo Tsuruta.
Tsuruta wasted no time, he ran straight after this demon army, and singled out the bigger man: Akira Taue. Ace’s clubbing blows punished the Treacherous Titan, and as he found himself on the floor, as Tsuruta proved his veteran status by dropping elbows and knee drops on Taue. Tsuruta sent out a loud OH! to the fans, who responded ubiquitously. He whipped Taue to the ropes, but Akira was caught by Kawada, who tagged in. The young team was already showing their chemistry.
Tsuruta nodded and let Kawada in; the men circled each other, and even though Tsuruta was a better amateur, Kawada swiftly turned this match from an amateur wrestling contest into a pancrase spectacle. He kicked Jumbo’s head, and proceeded to land a big boot, a spin kick, and a wheel kick. Jumbo reeled for a second, and abruptly got up; almost as if Kawada kicked so hard, he unlocked Jumbo’s second form. The ace proceeded to run the ropes, before landing a Thesz Press on Kawada. Taue broke up the pin attempt, and as he was sent back to his corner by the ref, Jumbo tagged in Tiger. The ace realised Baba’s Battalion must also develop tag team chemistry, if they were ever to hope to defeat this unholy army of demons.
Tiger Mask and Toshiaki Kawada then engaged in a battle of kicks; the high-flying, lucha style of graceful kicks were countered with stiff, pancrase-inspired leg strikes, and this was a battle that Toshiaki had won. He tagged in Taue, and the Goliath wasted no time punishing the proverbial David. A Fallaway Slam was followed by an Atomic Press Drop, and the fleeting hope segment from Tiger Mask was soon halted by the Neckbreaker Drop from Taue; this was a move made famous by Giant Baba, and adopted by Jumbo Tsuruta. The message was clear: there’s a new big man in town.
Taue kicked Jumbo off the apron, before landing Nodowa Otoshi on Tiger Mask, for a one, and a two, and instead of a three count pound from the reff, Jumbo was the one who pounded his foot on the back of Taue, breaking the count. As both Taue and Tiger were spent, they each made tags to their respective partners.
Slightly gassed from the constant run-ins to save his partner, Jumbo was on a receiving end of a roundhouse kick from Kawada; bouncing off the ropes, Kawada connected with a big boot to his face. Jumbo fell on his arse, and as he was coming to his senses, Toshiaki connected with a Dangerous Kick! (a running roundhouse kick to a seated opponent). Somehow, Tiger Mask was able to land a Tiger Fly Splash on top of Kawada’s back, as he was pinning Jumbo.
All four men were now in the ring, trading blows. Jumbo proved his dominance once more by big booting Taue. Now the Battalion had surrounded Kawada; Tsuruta held Toshiaki up as a spent Tiger Mask pandered to the crowd from the corner, and ran to land a Running Wheel Kick to Kawada.
But Taue had managed to push Kawada out in the last moment! The Wheel Kick hit Tsuruta! The demons of the army locked eyes: they knew it was now or never. With Tiger down on the floor, Toshiaki lifted Tsuruta up for a Back Drop Driver; and Taue joined him, grabbing Tsuruta by the throat. The two men then hit a brutal tag team combination – a Back Drop Driver and a Nodowa Otoshi at the same time! This brutal Nodowa Driver spiked the 6’5’’ Jumbo Tsuruta on the top of his head. And behold! A one, a two… and a three count followed!
These demons had managed to do the impossible! They had defeated Jumbo Tsuruta, as well as Tiger Mask. The fans were in awe at the performance of the Army; even some claps were heard, before being choked out by the boos, as the realisation had set in. The Army was victorious over The Battalion, and the ultimate battle of the factions, the final showdown of the stables, the war to settle the score, was up next: Misawa versus Tenryu.
--------------------------------
Before the main event, a commercial played for the fans, to bring them a brief rest, and to announce a long awaited motion picture. The commercial promoted the newest kaiju film: Gojira vs Ghidorah. As Ghidorah and Rodan tag teamed Gojira, the fallen monster looked up from the sandy soil to see familiar red boots standing in front of him. They belonged the biggest of the giants, Giant Baba! Baba helped Gojira get up to his feet, and the two fan favorite giants started pounding on the pesky monsters!
The crowd cheered, as Giant Baba was obviously making his recovery, and was well enough to film this commercial. It was only a matter of time before Baba had made his way back to his realm, All Japan Pro Wrestling!
--------------------------------
#5. The Terminus Main Event: Genichiro Tenryu vs Mitsuharu Misawa – PWF Heavyweight Championship:
Genichiro Tenryu appeared at the entrance ramp, backed by the full force of the Ishingun. He took a glance back, and as he faced the Revolutionary Army, Choshu was smiling at him. But Tenryu waved them back. Much to the chagrin of the Demons, and Hamada, they turned back and left. Choshu was irate, but Tenryu was confident: he wanted to face the Emerald Warrior alone. And truly alone he was left, to his own devices, as he made his way down the ramp, waiting for his opponent to pull up.
Misawa’s entrance was a spectacle: Spartan X was turned up to max, and the music meshed with the roar from the 16K of the Budokan, making the hard cam shake. Mitsuharu Misawa entered the ring in his vintage emerald-silver coat, and was showered with green and white streamers, as was the custom in the Far East.
The announcer called, the ref pointed, the bell rang. The men locked up. The push and shove commenced, before it broke up. The wrestlers gave each other a significant look; the PWF Championship was on the line. But even more perhaps, the dominance of the groups was on the line, The Army versus The Battalion.
The men locked up once more: despite Misawa’s amateur acumen, Tenryu wanted to beat him in every style possible, to prove he is the single, undisputed, number one. Misawa however slipped out of the back mount position, catching Tenryu’s arm, and slowly forcing the bigger man to reach for the ropes.
Misawa had won the amateur contest: it was at that point that Tenryu threw kicks. First to the gut, then to the face, Tenryu won the kicking match. Misawa tried to throw a spin kick, but Genichiro caught the leg, and threw Misawa on the back of his head, and even scored a two count on it.
Tenryu was confident, and waited for Misawa to get up. He then ran off the ropes, and on the rebound, The Emerald One struck him with a big elbow, sending Genichiro to the ringside floor. Misawa was cheered on by the fans: off the ropes he ran, looking for a Suicide Elbow.
But Tenryu moved! And instead of spilling on the floor, Misawa caught himself on the ropes, and skinned the cat, before wrecking ball dropkicking Tenryu. Waiting for him to get up, Misawa then performed a plancha, and with his midsection he hit… the unforgiving concrete floor.
Tenryu rolled Misawa back in, now back in control. The battle of the stables was now in its finishing phase. Tenryu knew it - The Army was to be victorious over The Battalion! To celebrate the occasion, he locked in the Sasori Gatame, the scorpion hold of Choshu, the Army’s leader. For long Misawa resisted and strained, contorting his spine in unhuman ways in search of the oasitic save of the ropes; at last, he found it, and grabbed the bottom rope. But the damage may have already been done.
Tenryu was in disbelief that the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the entire Ishingun, Sasori Gatame, was not enough to put Misawa down. He argued with the ref, and Misawa used this time to rise up. He kicked Tenryu in the gut, and whipped him off the ropes, and then ran at the oncoming man, hitting the Neckbreaker Drop, giving a nod to Baba, the spirit of The Battalion. And enough it was, for a two, and a two… and a half.
Both soldiers arose; fighting for their respective stables, they realised not even the most powerful weapons in their stables’ arsenal were enough to put the other man down. They were on their own - no moves borrowed from other men could help them, no seconds awaited by the ring to give them refreshment: it was only the two of them, and a crowd of sixteen thousand cheering them on. It has come to this: this single trial by combat, between two single soldiers.
Warriors faced off one final time, bracing themselves for the last hoorah. Misawa hit the elbow, and landed a Tiger Driver on Tenryu. The big man barely kicked out at two and ¾. Mitsuharu ran the ropes, to land the final elbow; but he was turned inside out by Genichiro’s lariat. A cover later, and a three… was almost administered, as Misawa had rolled a shoulder up from the mat. Another lariat attempt by Tenryu was tried, only for Mitsuharu to duck, and lock in a double underhook from behind; a mind shattering Tiger Suplex followed, and Misawa bridged for the count. Barely holding on, the bridge held for a one count. It survived the two count. The three was as close as the gates of heaven for a virgin; alas, Misawa’s battered midsection gave out before the three, and he released the bridging cover, collapsing and clutching at his abdomen.
Tenryu had used this time to recover, kicking Misawa’s head in as he got up; Tenryu calculated, and decided to take a big risk. He gave Misawa some space, and lunged high up in the air, as the point of his foot stabbed at the previously bloodied nose of Misawa. The Gamengiri had landed! Surely, Tenryu had won.
But he did not. The big toe of Misawa was on the bottom rope, annulling the pin attempt. Tenryu still had some advantage, and thus he climbed the ropes. Off of them, he soared backwards, suicidally, as the last kamikaze soars upon the enemy, to deliver one last, killing blow. And yet the elbow’s target was the unforgiving ring mat.
Screaming in pain at his elbow, Tenryu was unable to rise to his feet. But he was. The Emerald Warrior, the last bastion of Baba’s Battalion, as if the faction warfare even mattered now, was up. He took one last deep breath to drag Tenryu in the Tiger Driver position. Lifted him he did, halfway only though, as his battered back gave out. The man who was already through one match this night, who took massive hits from other three men of Ishingun, now finally succumbed to exhaustion.
Wrestlers were down for a long time; only after a minute did Tenryu begin to get up. With his right elbow still hurting, he swung a left lariat at Misawa. Another left lariat ensued: and Misawa was down for a two point ninety-nine. With the last atom of power, and last monad of willpower, Genichiro threw the last right hand lariat, completely disregarding his busted right arm. He knocked Mitsuharu’s head off of his shoulders, and fell down on him.
One. Two count. Mercifully perhaps, but slowly and deliberately nonetheless, Higuchi finally pounded the ground for the decisive three count.
When they lifted Tenryu off the ground, he was still holding his right elbow. Ishingun presented him with her; the Pacific Wrestling Federation’s Heavyweight Championship. For a moment the victor stopped, as if the 16 thousand were not even present. He gazed at her, this beauty of glittering gold and royal silver, coated in the crimson leather. Nothing else mattered; not the broken elbow, not the fallen opponent by his feet: not even the friends of The Army. Only her. Only him. And they embraced – the battle-hardened champion, and the beautiful championship. Genichiro Tenryu, and the PWF Heavyweight Title.
And not even the 16K of the Budokan booing him, nor the jealous eye of The Bastard mattered: the champion was crowned, and the feed faded to black.
Pacific League - Terminus results:
Mitsuharu Misawa def Riki Choshu by DQ (13:35)
Kensuke Sasaki def Jun Akiyama (10:11)
Peter Maivia, Afa and Sika vs. Harley Race, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel - no contest (08:25)
Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue def Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Mask (16:40)
Genichiro Tenryu def Mitsuharu Misawa – PWF Heavyweight Championship (21:19)
