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 2nd, a tape featuring footage from a W*ING event during their second set of tour shows, dated 09/19/1991.
PREFACE:
Now that I have one W*ING tape under my belt, I felt more prepared (as well as more excited) to check out this second offering. Unlike TAKE-OFF 1st which covered the very first few W*ING shows, this tape focused clipped footage from one event, taking place about a month into the company’s original run. Right off the bat, I’m guessing I’m going to get a lot less variety here with this one. This tape is also thirty minutes shorter than the previous one I reviewed.
So, with that said, let’s see how this single-event tape comes across… especially with a lot less on the line (in comparison with debut events we watched last time).
This event took place inside the Katsushika City Sports Center in Tokyo, Japan, in front of just over 2,000 fans. Our VHS tape opened up with the MIRACLE and W*ING logos, respectively. We then cut to new backstage footage from the Yomiuri Land EAST show back on 08/17/1991 (one of the shows included in the TAKE-OFF 1st tape). Text appears on the screen confirming that this was indeed backstage following the main event from that show. Akitoshi Saito was sitting in a chair alongside Mitsuteru Tokuda while babyfaces including The Iceman, Yukihiro Kanemura, and others checked up on them to assess their injuries. Suddenly, TNT and Mr. Pogo entered frame and began beating down the babyfaces, using chairs and whatever else they could get their hands on. Victor Quiñones was also in on the action, swinging a chair. Then, while down, The Iceman’s mask was removed by TNT! The babyfaces laid in a heap as the heels exited the locker room and we faded into the next screen.
Red text read: “About a month after the backstage attack from members of the opposite locker room… the four main members of the brawl will face the final stage of battle inside the Caribbean Hurricane Cage Death Match!”
We then cut to footage from early in the day of the coming show on 09/19/1991, inside the Katsushika Ward General Sports Center Gymnasium. Members of the babyface locker room stretched and worked out in the ring while text alerted us that in Tokyo, there was a tropical storm all day due to typhoon number eighteen…
A brief interview was up next, featuring words from Akitoshi Saito.
Finally, an opening package for the show was presented, with flashes of moments from the incoming event and a W*ING TAKE-OFF 2nd graphic flashing in between shots.
Then it was right into our first match of the evening!
Zuleyma vs. Martha Villalobos – UWA World Women’s Championship:
- Our champion, Zuleyma, was out first. Then her much bigger opponent, Martha Villalobos. I don’t know either of these women, but Zuleyma had a cool entrance look. They had a sixty-minute time limit here to work… so, we’ll see! Our bell rang and a smattering of a crowd was on had for this opening bout. Martha took over with a quick, big splash and some hair pulling. A big palm strike put Zuleyma down again as we got a cross dissolve transition to sometime later in the match. Outside the ring, Villalobos was whipped into the chairs at ringside. Again another transition and Villalobos picked up a near fall. Zuleyma then reversed a monkey flip, sitting down instead, to pick up a near fall of her own. Villalobos nailed the champ with a big powerbomb, followed back a splash in the corner, and a sitting senton from the second rope for another near fall. Zuleyma tried wearing the bigger woman down with dropick that sent Martha to the floor. She followed this up with a nice suicide dive through the ropes. Again, we cut to later in the match where Martha came running off the apron with a press onto a standing Zuleyma on the outside that looked nasty! In the ring, Martha continued the punishment, but then met trouble after being hit with a missile dropkick off the top rope. This was enough to keep the challenger down for a three count, awarding Zuleyma the match, thus retaining her championship.
- I hate when we get clipped matches on these VHS tapes, especially when there will definitely be room left over on the tape itself! That said, from what we were able to see here, it does seem like this one ended up okay. The start of the match was very rough and you could tell the crowd was ice cold for this opening contest between these two ladies. They definitely warmed up to the match by the end and there was some nice spots they appreciated sprinkled throughout this one. These ladies seemed to work hard, too. Not horrible, I’ve definitely seen worse! Star and a half from me.
The Headhunters vs. Eddie Gilbert & Tom Prichard:
- Up next was our first tag match of the evening, with Gilbert & Prichard having their entrances cut from this tape. The Headhunters stepped up onto the apron and it was time for this match with a thirty-minute time limit to get underway. Eddie Gilbert is one of my favorites from the eighties and I know how capable Dr. Tom Prichard is. Plus, The Headhunters kind of won me over in our last VHS watchthrough, so I was excited for this one. Following the opening announcements, we then got a transition into the match where Prichard’s leg was being taken to task by both Headhunters ending with a deep Boston Crab that had to be broken up by Eddie Gilbert. Dr. Tom began fighting back with punches before tagging Gilbert into to hit a set of nice running dropkicks on both Headhunters. The next cut was Gilbert getting powerbombed but rolling out of the way of a moonsault off the top. Prichard was tagged in and landed a nice suplex for a near fall. Soon, he was sent out through the middle rope and action was out on the floor. All four men threw fists at ringside, with tables and chairs being knocked over all over the place. Our next cut saw both Headhunters being sent out to the floor with a double clothesline. Dr. Tom sent one Headhunter into the collapsed bleachers against a far wall as the fight continued. The next cut brought us to The Headhunters missing a double headbutt off the top on Gilbert, with Prichard coming in to clean house. Then, it was Eddie working a knee over. Dr. Tom followed suit when he tagged in, with both teams pretty gassed at this point. Eddie choked the man with the tag rope in the corner as both Americans teed off with alternating punches on the big man. All four men ended up in the ring as the ringside announcer began counting down from ten and a time limit draw was called for the match! The bell rang and the fight didn’t stop. All four men fought around ringside as we faded to black.
- This one was cut to ribbons, as we only got to see about a third of the match. A shame, as getting to see Eddie Gilbert in action is always a treat, as I am a fan of his. The Headhunters are definitely being positioned as a top act in the promotion, which is probably why we went to a draw here. There was some nice action outside the ring and as always, Dr. Tom Prichard was selling like he does best for his team. I was surprised we didn’t see any blood in this one, but no doubt they’re saving that for the main event. Again, from what we saw, this one was decent. Two stars from me. Had we’d seen the whole thing, it probably would’ve ranked higher.
Masaru Toi vs. Danny Davis – USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship:
- We got most of both entrances shown here, sixty minutes for a time limit. I know Danny Davis for his training acument, having a hand in getting some of the biggest stars in wrestling ready in the last twenty years. As far as Masaru Toi, I know he debuted with W*ING last month and is greener than green. A handshake started us off followed by a stalemate in a lockup. Some tight chain wrestling was up next which ended in an arm submission that trapped Toi momentarily. These guys were working maybe a bit too quickly, as Davis didn’t quite duck low enough in a leapfrog and both stumbled to the mat. Toi wouldn’t let the mix up last, as he picked up his opponent, got him to the outside, and hit a nice plancha onto him over the top rope to the floor. Another dive from the top rope to the floor put Davis well behind in offense. Toi made it back into the ring at the count of fifteen, but ran right into a suplex and hangman’s neckbreaker for a near fall. A running clothesline nailed him for a near fall. We then cut to Davis being dropped with a sloppy looking tombstone piledriver and a diving headbutt off the top rope where Toi more fell than dove. Davis would return the favor with a tombstone of his own for a near fall. Toi missed a second diving headbutt attempt, as Davis rolled out of the way. Davis then reversed a crucifix attempt into a samoan drop for a near fall. A backslide pin surprisingly kept Toi down for a three count, winning Danny Davis the match and the USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship! After the bell, both men shook hands and Toi raised Davis’ arm as the new champ.
- Despite several hiccups, these guys did have some in-ring chemistry together. Davis’ work was much better than Toi’s, granted this was Toi’s tenth match ever! Both guys worked hard, with Toi’s pacing being just a little too quick for either man at several points in the match. That said, it was still entertaining and I don’t think the misses took too much away at all. My favorite bout of the card thus far… and we got a new champ! Two and a half stars from me.
Hideki Hosaka & Mitsuteru Tokuda vs. Yukihiro Kanemura & Koichiro Kimura:
- Our next tag bout of the evening had a sixty-minute time limit and had a solid lineup of talent. From the last VHS, I became a fan of really all four of these guys, with Tokuda and Kanemura standing out the most. Kimura and Hosaka are our grapplers here, so they should pair off well again for this one. Handshakes were exchanged and it was Hosaka and Kanemura set to kick things off. Instead, Kimura and Tokuda both tagged in and were ready to go. Kimura threw an impressive hip toss for a near fall and then Tokuda did the exact same once both men were back to their feet. Amatuer skills were on full display here, as Tokuda took over with a snap suplex and a Boston Crab. We then cut to Kanemura hitting a nice spinning wheel kick on Tokuda. Tokuda rallied back with a stiff looking standing dropkick and an octopus-style standing abdominal stretch. kimura was tagged in and went right to work on Tokuda. Hosaka was then tagged in to a apply a single-leg crab on Kimura. A nice back suplex got Hosaka a near fall. Kanemura tagged back in, scored two dropkicks and a hip toss, before being caught in a scoop slam. We then cut to Kimura planting Tokuda with a nice pinning german suplex, a pinning fisherman’s suplex, and a sit-out pile driver series. Tokuda was forced to find the ropes to break the pin after this series of moves! Hosaka was able to tag in and lock Kimura into a sleeper before Kimura got to the ropes. A flurry of kicks was next and another snapping suplex was dished out by Kimura. A side suplex had to be broken up by Tokuda. Kanemura tagged in and hit a high knee from the top rope onto a standing Hosaka. Tokuda was in next and hit a Northern Lights Suplex that caught Kanemura off guard. Kanemura looked to be pretty spent as Hosaka came back in and planted him with a suplex that sent both men across the ring. Kanemura pulled out a desperation samoan drop and got caught on the top rope, receiving a belly-to-belly suplex from Hosaka. Two powerbombs finally kept Kanemura down after a hard-fought battle! After the bell, Hosaka grabbed a mic from ringside and had a few words before passing the mic to Kimura. The two shook hands and the three men standing pulled Kanemura to his feet to celebrate.
- That was a hell of tag team match, as both teams worked their asses off. All four men got moments in the match to shine, with legit wrestling skills being the highlight of the match without question. Kanemura looked like a guy who could take a beating, Tokuda dished out just as much punishment as he took, Kimura again looked like a shoot-style badass, and Hosaka worked his take-no-crap amatuer style just as well as Kimura. This was a stiff, hard-hitting, exhausting battle. Again, I just wish it wasn’t clipped! I liked this one a lot and came away impressed with each guy individually. I’m hoping the promo after the match was setting up for another go for these guys, as this ‘home’ talent shows so much promise for W*ING’s roster both now and through the future! Three stars from me!
Next, we cut to The Iceman backstage to share a few words about his participation in the main event tonight. First of all, he put over the seriousness and dangerousness of the match. He said TNT and Mr. Pogo need to expect pain and vengeance.
Akitoshi Saito, the man of few words, then just had a word or two and our entrances were up next.
Mr. Pogo & TNT vs. Akitoshi Saito & The Iceman – Caribbean Hurricane Cage Death Match:
- Iceman and Saito were out first and then it was our heels, lead by Victor Quiñones. As soon as the heels entered, it was chaos as all four men went at it. Before long, Pogo had his cowboy boots off, using them as a weapon on Saito while TNT used a heavy chain across the back of The Iceman. Iceman was run into the cage as Saito continued to be on the receiving end of Pogo’s pointed boots. By now, TNT had ripped Iceman’s mask enough to rub his exposed head back and forth across the cage’s mesh. He bit and punched at the spot as Pogo hit a nasty sit-out jumping piledriver on Saito and rammed him into the cage a few times. The heels were in firm control at this point, with Pogo DDT’ing Saito onto the pile of chains TNT had brought into the cage. He only got a near fall for his efforts though, as the battle raged on. Iceman began to rally back, but the offense for him would be short-lived. That said, Saito began to fire up with karate-style jump kicks on Pogo, weakening him enough for Saito to send him into the cage! The heels were now getting their comeuppance, as Iceman and Saito fought them hard for a few minutes. Iceman locked a sharpshooter onto TNT, but Pogo was able to rescue his partner with use of the chain. He began wrapping Iceman up it in before slamming him down hard and coming off the top rope with a huge splash. Saito helped break the pin up right before the three count! A belly-to-belly suplex put TNT down for a two count, thanks to The Iceman. All four men were busted open at this point, with momentum swinging back and forth. TNT hit a nice spin kick on Iceman who was positioned on the top rope. It then looked like Iceman was going to be suplexed off the top. Instead, he knocked TNT down, climbed to the very top of the cage wall, and dove off with a splash onto a standing TNT! The crowd marvelled at the move, but still TNT was able to kick out at two! All four men continued the fight, with the momentum swinging back and forth. Saito was then locked into a sharpshooter by TNT and much to the disappointment of the crowd, he was forced to submit! After the bell, the chain was used to clothesline Iceman and then to choke Saito. Gypsy Joe was all of a sudden inside the cage to keep the heels from continuing their beatdown, but he took a chair over the head so hard, it popped the particle board-backed seat right off the chair’s metal frame thanks to TNT. He was then piledriven through a table by Pogo twice without the table breaking. Victor Quiñones got inside the cage with kendo stick to add insult to injury on Joe. The heels then exited as half of the crowd dispersed towards the exits and the other half rushed cageside to cheer on Joe as Iceman carried him out. Saito got back to his feet to share some words with the crowd and thank them for their support before exiting.
- I’m not really sure what made that match a Caribbean Hurricane Cage Death Match, as it just came off like a Cage Match to me? Still, it was exactly what you’d want from a W*ING main event featuring the likes of TNT and Mr. Pogo. Blood, weapons, and high-risk moves were spread out nicely all over this one. Barring the appearance of Gypsy Joe, I enjoyed this one from start to finish! The spot of the night was definitely Iceman coming off the top of the cage. The fans ate this one up and were super invested throughout, with Saito being just as much the beloved babyface as the office has positioned him as. Three stars from me, easily!
Following the match, cameras followed Akitoshi Saito up through the building towards the locker room, while the night’s results scrolled along the bottom of the screen. Once in the locker room, we got to see that Gypsy Joe was laid out in the center of the floor, really selling the post-match attacked. Joe was a bloody mess, shivering, as Iceman, Saito, and the other babyfaces knelt over him. Iceman promised to the cameras that TNT and Pogo would pay for what they did to Joe and promised that Joe would be back. Saito also shared a few words with the cameras in regard to Joe before the shot faded out.
We then got a quick cut of some of the nights highlights with some uplifting music before the MIRACLE logo flashed and we got the same closing message from our last tape: “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
POSTFACE:
With my second commercial W*ING VHS tape down, I must admit, I’m enjoying what the company has offered so much more than I ever expected. This tape seemed to fly by a lot quicker, even only being thirty minutes shorter than the last one. The second half of the card really captured my interest. With the USWA Junior Heavyweight Championship match, the hot tag team match made up of future stars, and the cage match being really solid run of offerings. I can’t express how continually impressed I am with Kimura, Kanemura, Hosaka, and Tokuda. I fully expect W*ING to heavily invest in these four guys. I think their tag match butted up against the main event is exactly what makes W*ING so interesting… the masterful balance of hard-hitting amatuer skill mixed with deadly hardcore wrestling! It is a winning combo.
I hope guys like the American guys like Danny Davis, Eddie Gilbert, and Tom Prichard are planned to reappear, as I think they have a lot to offer W*ING. With our heels dealing another damaging blow to the babyface locker room, I’m interested in what the response will be.
Hopefully, we’ll find out in our next tape, SKY HIGH AGAIN!
See you guys then.