W*ING Rewind: TAKE-OFF 1st

In this series, Austin Skinner takes a look back at some of Japanese Puroresu’s most niche, commercial VHS tape offerings… those of the deathmatch (AKA ‘Garbage’) promotion known as W*ING (Wrestling International New Generations). This time, he is covering TAKE-OFF 1st, a tape featuring some of W*ING’s debut show on 08/07/1991 and additional footage from another event held on 08/17/1991.

PREFACE:

So, going into this series, I have as close to zero knowledge as possible of any and all things W*ING. As far as I know, W*ING was just a stable of guys later on in FRONTIER MARTIAL-ARTS WRESTLING (FMW). I knew it was a promotion that had open and closed up rather quickly. I know who Mr. Pogo is, I know that W*ING had a bunch of guys in horror masks, but as far as anything… nada. I’ve never watched a W*ING event, nor have any knowledge of the promotion’s major feuds.

So, to say I’m excited to discover all this for the first time, is an understatement. Looking at the company that was FMW’s first style rival (followed by IWA Japan, W*ING’s successor) should make for some very car-crash-esque viewing!

So, let’s jump into this first one!

MIRACLE presents…

Some karate guys taking on some pro wrestlers, Mr. Pogo whipping chairs around ringside, Dos Caras doing some lucha, Gypsy Joe taking a chair over the head, more karate guys, and finally our title: W*ING TAKE-OFF 1st.

Our next shots were of some fans that were interviewed about Mr. Pogo while shots of other fans entering the stands of Korakuen Hall were shown. All to build up to this show and this first W*ING event. Koichiro Kimura was then interviewed backstage, of course I don’t really speak Japanese, so I had no idea why. Akitoshi Saito was up for interview next, followed by Mitsuteru Tokuda, and one more guy who wasn’t given a name graphic. Then it was time for our pre-show parade of talents in the ring… and what a unique collection of talents it was. The Headhunters, Gypsy Joe, Dos Caras, Fishman, and a dozen others all made their entrance here.

Then, it was time to dig into our matches from the very first W*ING event, held on 08/07/1991.

Yukihiro Kanemura & Ryo Miyake vs. The Headhunters:

• The Headhunters took control quick;y, beating down Kanemura with strikes and a double clothesline. One Headhunter headed to the corner to restore tag format as the other chopped away on Kanemura in the corner. We got a cut transition that saw Ryo in getting slammed to the mat to setup for the Headhunter on the apron to climb to the top rope and jump off onto Ryo. A near fall was broken up by Kanemura. Another slam followed by a running elbow drop kept Ryo down for a two count. A huge leg drop off the top rope would definitely finished Ryo off, had Kanemura not made the save again! The next cut brought us to Ryo and Kanemura building up some offense, but they’d be cooled off quickly, with Ryo falling victim to a double bodysplash and a running powerslam. Kanemura was clotheslined away and this setup Ryo to get pummeled with a double team move that saw one Headhunter hold him up by the waist, while the other came off the top rope with a clothesline, almost like a reverse-facing Hart Attack. The Headhunters then came off the top rope in stereo with diving headbutts to pickup an easy victory here. After the bell, they jumped the babyfaces and Headhunter B even hit a HUGE moonsault off the top for added impact.
  • Wow, okay, so the Headhunters came off a lot better than I thought they were going to. They hit a bunch of stuff off the top that looked okay. The rest of their moveset is rather lacking… but that was to be expected. I can also tell that both Ryo Miyake and Yukihiro Kanemura have a bunch of babyface sympathy already! From what we were shown, that wasn’t a bad match at all (keeping in mind that it was clipped).

Gypsy Joe vs. Masaru Toi:

• We started with Joe on the outside trying to use a piece of wood but being briefly stopped by a young boy on the outside. Joe levelled him and then got right to work on Toi with the piece of wood. Then, it was out into the chairs. Joe launched Toi into the first few rows and the ringside area was plunged into chaos. Chairs were swung wildly, with both getting good shots in. Then it was up into the stadium seating briefly before our first cut. On the other side of the cut, we were back in the ring with Joe hitting ugly looking chops on Toi’s chest in the corner. Then, Toi was launched up and over the top rope to the floor. Toi returned to the ring with a chair, smashed Joe with it, Joe taunted, and then Toi hit him a bunch more only for Joe to no-sell it. Another cut brought us to Joe still not selling most of Toi’s offense, including a dropkick, kicks, and a clothesline attempt. A shit bodyslam put Toi down long enough for Joe to thing to the top rope only for him to nearly fall and miss a stomp. A bottom rope-assisted knee drop kept Toi down for a three count. After the match, Joe again brought Toi to the floor before the two were broken up by young boys at ringside.
  • This was a pile of shit. Gypsy Joe might be one of the worst wrestlers I have ever seen booked… especially for a company’s debut program. I’ve definitely heard of Gypsy Joe prior to this and knew he was trash, just not this bad! Reaaaalllly looking forward to him being a part of W*ING moving forward…

Fishman & The Killer vs. Dos Caras & El Fantasma – Two Out of Three Falls Match:

• Now, this was a match I was expecting something out of, as three of the four men are lucha legends. Fantasma started off with Killer, using his chain wrestling prowess to his advantage. He worked a knee as we went into a cut. On the other side, Dos Caras and Fishman were set to lock up. Caras gained arm control and worked Fishman over. Our next cut saw Caras use the ropes to flip out of an arm hold put on by The Killer. Then, it was Fantasma and Caras hitting in stereo dropkicks on the heels. A surprise small package pin gained the first fall of the match for Fantasma and Caras.
• The Killer hit a nice clothesline to start the next phase of the match, tagging in Fishman on the move to hit a nice front dropkick on Fantasma, followed by a small package for a near fall. Dos Caras was tagged in and he arm dragged, dropkicked, and out-maneuvered Fishman in rapid succession. Another clip brought us to Caras escaping both Fishman and Killer with the use of the top rope, and a combo flying headscissors and headlock took both the heels down long enough for Caras to roll out to the floor and catch his breath. The next cut saw Fishman land an assisted running body splash on Caras for their first win of the match, tying the bout, one-to-one with one fall to go.
• We clipped to Fishman holding Caras in a camel clutch like submission, resorting to grabbing and pulling at Caras’ mask to try and reveal his face! It was pulled halfway up before Caras was able to get to his feet and fight Fishman off in the corner. Caras fired up and bashed the two heels’ heads together before sending Killer to the floor. A submission on Caras was broken up when Fantasma came in and covered both opponents. Then, the action spilled wildly to the floor with three of the four men diving to ringside at different points. A tiltawhirl backbreaker followed by a hurricanrana and pin combo won Dos Caras and El Fantasma a second fall, therefore the final fall of the match. After the bout, Caras immediately shook hands with Fishman and showed respect to their opponents, despite Fishman going for his mask.
  • So, this one was fun and some solid wrestling was of course delivered. Caras carried the match with Fishman for the most part, with The Killer and El Fantasma’s ring time kept pretty limited from what we were shown in the clips here. I liked this one and always enjoy the visual of luchadores in Japan doing things that were pretty unheard of over there in 1991. The crowd had some nice reactions to the action and some of the comedy sprinkled throughout, too!

In between matches here, a ridiculous looking gimmick masked guy came out in a head-to-toe black and white costume with what looked like an exterminator tank and sprayer strapped to him. He sprayed some cloudy, compressed air or something out of it, bowed, and the clip ended. This was in fact our first introduction to The Iceman. As weird and random as it was, I liked it.

Next, some footage of a match was spliced in here from some sort of MMA / Boxing rules type match. Where ever this was from, the original commentary could still be heard in english. This tape was basically highlights of Wojo taking on former boxing champion, Leon Spinks. Spinks was wearing boxing gloves while Wojo was bare-handed. Wojo took a bunch of rounds to the head while trying to get his hands on Spinks before the bout was called. I couldn’t really understand all that was going on, but I guess this was a way to show how tough Wojo is? Or maybe that he’s legit? Odd…

Great Wojo vs. Hideki Hosaka:

• Finally, we actually came to the singles match featuring Great Wojo that was part of this show. A feeling out process started us off and I have to say, Wojo has AT LEAST one hundred pounds on Hosaka here. It looked like the mismatch of the century as Wojo wrestled Hosaka to the mat easily and searched for arm and head control. For a moment, Hosaka took control of Wojo’s ankle, but Hosaka quickly found himself in a choke before they were forced to return to their feet for being under the bottom rope. A big body slam planted Hosaka on the back of his head, but this hybrid style wrestling match continued. A front facelock further pressured Hosaka and a big deadlift german suplex put him in an ever worse position. Hosaka was able to reach the bottom rope, so again they returned to their feet, but this time Hosaka came out swinging with big karate-like kicks. A gutwrench suplex killed Hosaka’s momentum, though. A suplex and an overhead belly-to-belly from Wojo put Hosaka down for a three count.
  • This was definitely a mismatch, as again, Wojo was significantly larger than his opponent. I’m not a huge fan of amatuer-esque/worked-shoot/shooto wrestling and find it kind of dull, so this match didn’t speak to me particularly. Wojo threw some good suplexes, though. Not great, but still miles better than the Gypsy Joe match we saw earlier.

Mitsuteru Tokuda, Akitoshi Saito, & Koichiro Kimura vs. Mr. Pogo, TNT, & Steve Collins:

• The heels don’t even make it to the ring before the first few rows of chairs explode into a chaotic, brawling mess. Mr. Pogo takes a guy to the very top of the permanent seats and teeters him over the entryway of the arena. Back in the ring, TNT powerbombs a karate guy, Akitoshi Saito, for a near fall. Mr. Pogo made it back to the ring for a tag. Pogo then threw a chair at Saito, instead of a clothesline, on the rebound of an Irish Whip. Saito threw a flurry of karate moves that really excited the crowd! Next, Pogo was outside the ring with Kimura before Tokuda tagged in… only to suffer a piledriver. Steve Collins tagged in for the first time and landed a nice stalling suplex on Tokuda. Then, it was TNT’s turn to get back in there. He hit a nice back spin kick on Tokuda, much to the surprise of the fans. Tokuda was being picked apart at this point, running into a big back kick from Pogo in the corner! The heels continue exchanging tags, with Collins coming back in to miss a dive off the top. Saito got a hot tag and chopped Collins down with kicks. Kimura got some licks of his own in on Collins, locking in a deep submission before Pogo broke it up. Tokuda got some of his own revenge on Collins with a top rope missile dropkick and a near fall. An armdrag and a side suplex kept Collins down just long enough for a three count! After the match, the brawl continued in the ring and on the outside, with all six men going at it. Suddenly, The Iceman stormed the ring and helped the karate guys clear house, much to the absolute delight of the crowd! Pogo got on a housemic and bad-mouthed the crew in the ring as The Iceman dared him to get in.
  • Okay, all jokes aside… this was kind of awesome. The brawling around Korakuen Hall was great, as they really made a mess of the place for this final match of their debut show. I thought for sure the karate and the brawling styles would’ve gone together horribly but actually, I think it worked just fine. Saito seems like the most skilled one with the karate and obviously Pogo was the brawling master, with the other four guys playing their roles okay, too. This is exactly what a crowd like this would’ve wanted from this promotion. Had I attended, I would’ve definitely felt like I got my money’s worth and would’ve been looking forward to the next time W*ING was close to me.

Following the main event, we ventured backstage in the locker room where the winning team of Mitsuteru Tokuda, Akitoshi Saito, & Koichiro Kimura were all seated on a bench to speak with the press. They spoke through gasping breaths and cameras clicked around them. They spoke briefly, bowed in unison, and the screen faded to white.

At this point, we were treated to to footage from the 08/17/1991 W*ING event held in Kawasaki, at Yomiuri Land amusement park, that closed out this original TAKE-OFF 1st tour.

Some shots of several wrestlers working out in the ring in this open-air amphitheatre style arena looked cool. Then, it was time for more pre-show interviews. Tokuda, Kimura, and Saito all spoke individually again. It seems W*ING is probably pushing them as their top babyface stars. Again, they finished the interviews, bowed in unison, and it was off to the matches.

Koichiro Kimura vs. Hideki Hosaka:

• The visual of the arena is awesome, as the sun is half setting throwing shadows in the ring as the sweating crowd watches on. Kimura denied a handshake to start us off. It seemed like these guys were going to go with a worked-shoot style, as Hosaka slapped on an ankle lock after shooting in and grabbing a leg. Kimura peppered him with a slap once they were back to their feet, which only fired Hoska up even more. Hosaka threw Kimura with a double underhook suplex and the two rolled around in search of limb control before being forced back to their feet following a rope break. Once up, Hosaka landed a nice belly-to-belly but it was Kimura who ended on top with control of his opponents arm and wrist. Another rope break forced the end of the submission. A side suplex and a single leg Boston Crab found brief success for Kimura before another rope break. Some striking then started, ending with a german suplex on Kimura for a near fall. You could tell Kimura was getting frustrated at this point, as he was paintbrushing Hosaka with taunting slaps while down on the mat. Kimura then locked in a modified STF in the center of the ring, pulled Hosaka up into a bridging german suplex for a near fall, and then a bridging Northern Lights type suplex for another near fall! Things started to get a little sloppy at this point, as I could tell both guys were pretty gassed. They fumbled around a bit until Kimura found an octopus-like stretch on the mat that forced a pretty quick tap. The two embraced after the match and shook hands in mutual respect.
  • Listen, this usually ins’t my preferred style of pro wrestling, but this was some solid-ass action! They suplexes and holds they were busting out here really held my attention and I genuinely had no idea who was going to win. This was also a MUCH better showing for Hideki Hosaka, as he prior match against the Great Wojo on this tape just wasn’t very good. Kimura and Hosaka had really similar skill sets and the match ended up pretty even throughout. I liked this way, way more than I thought I was going to in the beginning.

Mitsuteru Tokuda vs. Mr. Pogo – Scramble Bunkhouse Deathmatch:

• These guys started the match with weapons in-hand. A huge bowie knife had to be forcibly removed from Pogo before things could be started here. Tokuda started with kendo stick and went right to work on Pogo with it after pogo’s knife was taken away, forcing Pogo to roll to the outside to regroup. On the outside, Pogo walked Tokuda around, throwing him into a ringpost and through a ringside barrier. Using a steel chain, Pogo walked Tokuda up the rows of seats and threw him around. Back down near the ring, Pogo got him up onto the stage and landed a sick looking piledriver. Tokuda then took a chair over the head before being whipped with the steel chain across the back. At this point, Pogo took his cowboy boots off and beat Tokuda with them, even using the heel the boot to smash Tokuda’s face on an Irish Whip rebound. A few shots with the kendo stick and a running clothesline finally put Pogo on his back. Then it was Tokuda’s turn to walk Pogo around the arena. They made their way up the bleachers again, with Pogo being thrown into a concrete wall toward the top. Pogo’s manager, Victor Quiñones appeared to help push Pogo along, but Pogo was too busy taking a piledriver on a brick-paved path. Finally, the two made it back to the ring where Tokuda hit three missile dropkicks off the top of three separate turnbuckles. Then, outside the ring, Quiñones helped Pogo setup a table. With blood droplets on the lens of the camera, Pogo hoisted Tokuda up on the table and planted his with a sick piledriver through it! The ringside crowd stood and crowded the ring as the two wrestlers got back in and Tokuda suffered three piledrivers down onto a chair. Out of options, Pogo resorted to grabbing his steel chain, wrapping it around Tokuda’s neck, and throwing him out over the top rope to hang him! After only a few seconds, the official called for the bell and ended the match, calling it a TKO finish.
  • I was SHOCKED to see they guys go THIS far at an a family fun park! I wasn’t sure what they’d be able to get away with, just based on what the park may have required of them. It didn’t seem like they held back at all here! Pogo was landing some wild piledrivers and Tokuda was a trooper throughout. I almost got some Masato Tanaka vibes from Tokuda, the way he took a beating and kept coming. This was a good brawl and I enjoyed the visual chaos of the whole thing… though, I could’ve gone for a little less walking and a little more fighting.

TNT vs. Akitoshi Saito – Lumberjack Match

• These guys started by trading punches back and forth. TNT laid in some crazy-stff blows in the corner but Saito came out kicking which backed him up a bit. On the outside, Fishman, The Iceman, Gypsy Joe, Steve Collins, Yukihiro Kanemura, The Killer, The Headhunters, El Fantasma, and several others were there to throw each man back in when they rolled out. In the ring, Saito was on a roll with kicks. TNT rallied back with some headbutts and a stiff short-arm clothesline. TNT kept in control of the match for the most part at this point, shutting down Saito’s offense before he was able to build up too much momentum. A running legdrop kept Saito down for a near fall. Then both men were on the outside tangling with the lumberjacks. Saito was really worn down here, barely standing up to the barrage of punches and headbutts being thrown at him. A pumphandle backbreaker gained TNT another near fall. Saito was also able to escape a small package attempt. At this point, The Iceman was giving TNT greif at ringside, to the point where he fired up and attempted to get in but was held back by the rest of the lumberjacks. Suddenly, with the referee distracted, Mr. Pogo jumped into the ring and spiked Saito with a piledriver onto a chair! TNT cockily pinned Saito, but pulled him up at a count of two not once… but twice! As the match continued, next it was The Iceman who was able to get into the ring and nail TNT with a chair to the back. A spinning heel kick then caught TNT off guard and kept him down long enough for a surprise three count! After the match, Kimura, Tokuda, and Saito stood in the ring with their arms locked and struggling to stand. They thanked the fans and took their bow.
  • This was again a match I had little interest in going into it. That said, once again, I was pleasantly surprised. This was maybe the hardest-hitting match of the entire tape, I mean, these guys beat the shit out of each other with strikes. I’m glad this one was kept in the ring as a Lumberjack Match, as we already got our fill of touring the arena with the match prior. This helped this match stand out as something different, despite it still having that brawling base. Saito is over as a babyface and TNT plays a good, strong heel lacky.

As we faded out to music and a still photo, a black screen and the message as follows was presented (to which I was able to translate): “This videotape is sold for private viewing in the general household only. Therefore, unauthorized reproduction, broadcasting, cable broadcasting, and/or use for public screening are prohibited by law. © 1991 MIRACLE

… and that about wrapped us up!

POSTFACE:

With my first full, commercial W*ING tape under my belt, I have to admit that I had a hell of a lot of fun watching it through! This sort of mixture of hardcore, technical, MMA, lucha, and arena brawls is unlike anything I’ve really seen before. I quickly learned that coming out of this first tour and the company’s very first few shows, they are going to be pushing the trio of Akitoshi Saito, Mitsuteru Tokuda, and Koichiro Kimura as W*ING’s top babyfaces. The top heel is for sure Mr. Pogo, followed by TNT. I was surprised that the crowd got behind these guys so quickly… perhaps they had prior knowledge of them? I’m not sure. Either way, I approve and think it’ll be the right direction for them to go, top-of-the-card-wise.

Honestly, I was super impressed and was expecting a lot lower quality of overall work. I’ve heard the term ‘garbage wrestling’ thrown around alot, often in W*ING’s direction (amongst others)… I’m here to tell you, I did not feel that coming away from this. I think this tape was a perfect demo of what W*ING can offer and what fans in attendance can expect. From the chaos inside Korakuen Hall all the way to the amphitheatre of an amusement park (complete with rollercoasters rolling along a track in the background), W*ING established themselves strongly. I love the mixed bag and can’t wait for the next tape!

That being, TAKE-OFF 2nd!

See you guys then.