What's the story, spectators of synthetic submissions?!
Back with another pick from my Twitch stream this week! I was in a UWF-I kick so you guys are treated to a wonderful blend of work-shoot wrestling this week.
Let's not waste any more time, yeah? On with the show!
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| UWF-I |
Weekly Roundup
Here's what I watched for the week;
Tommaso Ciampa is All Elite
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| Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est? AEW |
Earlier this month, Tommaso Ciampa announced via his Instagram that his WWE contract was set to expire soon and that he would not be renewing. To many, this probably came as a shock, but to me, personally, I was not caught off guard by this. I've been a massive fan of Ciampa for years now and have been able to gauge him pretty well when he starts to go quiet. This recent bout of radio-silence came following their WWE Tag Team Championship loss in the middle of the year (I can't tell you when, I don't watch the product) and the team of #DIY was no longer being used on TV. After a while, to the best of my understanding, Gargano came back to TV but as a solo act, with seemingly no reason to have Ciampa join him. By that point, the writing was on the wall to me, Ciampa was leaving WWE.
What I did not expect, however, was Ciampa to show up in AEW as quickly as he did. Answering Mark Bricoe's TNT Title open challenge for this Saturday on Collision (at time of release, todays Collision), getting the full blown main-eventer presentation and All Elite graphic all at the same time. I honestly expected Ciampa to do a tour of the indies, wrestle for some places up in Boston or Orlando, take a lighter schedule, enjoy the life he's been afforded, but instead, he's decided to go All Elite.
I've seen quotes floating around Facebook about why Ciampa decided to leave, and it all makes perfect sense.
“If I wrestled in the 90s, I’d wanna be a part of ECW… Early 2000s, you wanna be a part of Ring of Honor. I was lucky I got to do that a little bit. 2010s, I think for me at least, I wanted to be part of NXT Black and Gold. And when I looked at the landscape of professional wrestling in the 2020s… the answer was AEW, man. That’s what I want to be a part of.”
“For a long time, I had to listen to people tell me, not so much directly to my face but more so online, that 2018 was prime Ciampa. I'm a hundred times better now than I was then. That was nothing. That was absolutely nothing. I'm physically better. I'm mentally sharper. My storytelling, my psychology is on a whole different level than it was back then… what people are about to see is going to blow their minds. It's gonna shock the world, because I finally have a shot to find out if I'm as good as I think I am.”
-via Sports Illustrated
I'm so, unbelievably excited for Ciampa to be a part of AEW, to see what this next chapter of his career holds. Selfishly, I'm happy he left so I get to see him again, but I'm also happy knowing he's in a place where he feels like he can flourish and be the best version of himself. He deserves that much.
Go nuts, Psycho Killer.
Here’s what we’re reviewing for the Watchlist;
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Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobuhiko Takada - When U.W.F and W.A.R Collide
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| A moment of respect. UWF-I |
Bell to Bell
In the main event of a cross-promotional battle between UWF-I (Union of Wrestling Forces International) and WAR (Wrestling and Romance, better known as Wrestling Association R) founders and top wrestlers Nobuhiko Takada of UWF-I and Genichiro Tenryu of WAR clash. To many, it can be seen as a real clash of styles, with UWF-I's style focusing heavily on points and a shoot-style of matches, with heavy limb work and grappling. WAR, on the other hand, was the successor to SWS and had a working relationship with the WWF in the early 90's, and was a much more "traditional" professional wrestling company. Both men were not only the top stars of each promotion, but also the founders of each, their fingerprints all over each company and, as a result, their style heavily influencing the wrestling that took place on their cards. Now, let's not forget, Tenryu was an experienced sumo wrestler, reaching the maegashira 1 rank during his career. He's no slouch when it comes time to actually throw down, so there was little chance Takada could just walk all over him.
Part of the reason I bring up that this is a cross-promotional clash, is because it's important to understand the ruleset for this match. UWF-I matches are fought under very specific rules, with no pinfalls and points reduced for knockout attempts, rope breaks, and 10 counts for wrestlers when they are knocked down. It's a lot closer to the rules of boxing, really, than wrestling. It's a very unique blend. They also tend to keep the wrestlers in the ring exclusively, with things rarely, if ever, spilling out to the floor. WAR, on the other hand, has pinfalls and brawling on the floor, similar to the kind of match you may have caught on your WWF specials.
After opening the match with a high-five, things are tense for the opening moments, with Takada moving around a stationary, grounded Tenryu in the centre of the ring. A solid kick lands, but Tenryu is unfazed, staring a hole through Takada. Firing up, Tenryu backs Takada into the corner and assaults him with forearms. With Takada stunned, he pulls him to centre and plants him with a bodyslam before ascending to the top rope in a flash, falling down with a back elbow but landing in an empty pool. Takada fires back up to his feet, kicking the gut of Tenryu until he's backed to the ropes and eventually sent to the floor to retreat.
He's not out long, springing back inside, but being mindful to not jump right back into the action. A knuckle lock sees Takada try to shoot in for the legs of Tenryu, but he avoids the shoot and gets on top, holding him in a headlock and squeezing the jaw tight. Shifting in place, Tenryu tries for an armbar, but Takada is able to turn it into a kneebar. There's a scramble in the ropes, with Takada on the mat and Tenryu returning to centre to reset things. It's clear from the onset, both men are ready to scramble on the mat if they need to, they're about as evenly matched as possible here.
Tenryu tries to shoot Takada off the ropes, but he holds tight. so Tenryu cracks him with kicks, with one catching Takada in the face and clearly pissing him off. Takada fires off a kick to the torso of Tenryu, who eats the shot and marches right up to the face of Takada, now nose to nose with his adversary. Whatever advantage either man hoped to have here, submissions, striking, resilience, endurance, both men have made it clear that they are equal to the task of surviving the best their opponent can throw at them.
Tenryu catches Takada off guard with strikes and sends him to the floor, following him out only for Takada to roll right back inside. Tenryu does a lap of the ring before climbing back inside, with Takada fired up and ready to take it to him once again. Catching a Takada kick, Tenryu takes him down with a dragon screw, but Takada reverses the hold into a kneebar. Tenryu is able to get a heelhok to give Takada equal pressure, a mess of limbs in the centre as both men fight and search for a dominant position. Tenryu makes it to a mount, raining down forearm shots on Takada with a heavy arm. Takada is able to snatch an armbar, but Tenryu holds tight, not allowing for full extension, eventually able to get a foot on the rope to break the hold.
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| Searching for whatever they can get. UWF-I |
Back on their feet, Takada tries to take Tenryu over with a hip toss, but Tenryu holds fast and nearly gets Takada up for a suplex, but he drops his weight and slips down to the canvas. Trying to grab the leg of Tenryu, he gets caught with a heavy, full body weight forearm as Tenryu's legs give way. Takada folds to protect himself as Tenryu rains down more shots, clobbering him until the referee is forced to make Tenryu get off, admonishing him for using closed fist strikes.
Back standing again, Takada backs Tenryu into the corner, with the referee forcing a break. It looks like they'll be returning to the middle again, but Takada shifts to the side, stepping with his left foot on the bottom rope before firing up with a knee strike with his right, catching Tenryu unaware. Capitalizing on the window created, Takada fires off more knees, forcing Tenryu to fold in this time. Shot after shot catches Tenryu in the face, forcing him to slump down in the corner as the referee tries to desperately keep Takada back. But he's relentless, returning time and time again to drive in another knee, shot after shot to the head of Tenryu.
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| Trying to turn off the lights. UWF-I |
A splatter of blood appears around Tenryu's left eye as he stands up, and he stands up mad. Takada lands kicks, but all it takes is one forearm shot to drop Takada to his ass, laying him out flat on the canvas. Holding nothing back, Tenryu lands rapid, heavy punches to the side of Takada's head, not caring about the blatant breaking of the "no closed fist strikes" rule. Dropping an elbow, Tenryu goes for a cover, with Takada escaping quickly before firing back to his feet. Heavy handed chops stagger and eventually flatten Takada, with another elbow to the heart granting Tenryu a close two count. Whatever advantage Takada thought he gave himself with his corner knees, Tenryu is doing a good job of gaining back that ground.
A vertical suplex takes Takada down, a move he's probably not very used to taking during his time in UWF-I, but one Tenryu is more than experienced in delivering. Another pin, and another escape, with Tenryu standing over a writing Takada on the canvas. For a few minutes, this match is all Tenryu, once again dropping Takada with a heavy chop before tying his legs up in a cloverleaf. He's able to get to the bottom rope and get back to his feet, avoiding the rolling kick of Tenryu before snatching a leg and sinking down into a heel hook. Tenryu gets to the ropes this time, taking his time before rising back to his feet.
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| Timber goes the tree. UWF-I |
Absorbing shots to the leg, Tenryu stands tall, but a kick to the head drops him flat out. Tenryu gets to his feet again, but Takada assaults him with more kicks, dropping him back to the canvas once again. A covber is attempted, but Tenryu gets free. Of all people to go for a suplex, Takada gets the waist of Tenryu and rips him off the canvas, drilling him high on his head and neck before going for another cover, but still only scores a two count. Hooking the arm of Tenryu, Takada again tries for an armbar, but Tenryu holds fast as long as he can. Ultimately, Takada is able to get the full extension, but so does Tenryu! Extending his right leg as far as he can, he catches the bottom rope and breaks the hold, with seconds to spare.
Back vertical, but only for so long, Tenryu runs through Takada with a lariat, folding him for a pinfall, but Takada survives. Tenryu tries for another lariat, but Takada catches the arm and goes for a fujiwara armbar, but Tenryu fights through it and rolls to the ropes to break the hold again. Eating kicks as he gets vertical, Tenryu fires off a single punch, catching Takada under the jaw and crumbling him like a burning building. A pin is attempted, but he still manages to escape. Another lariat, another pin, another escape, it's a mad dash from both men, sensing the end is near and knowing any one strike could end this.
Back on their feet, they trade heavy strikes, chops and kicks, back and forth, neither man yielding or giving an inch. Ultimately, it's Takada that staggers first, a punch from Tenryu catching him in the jaw and sending him back a step and a half. Seizing on the opening, Tenryu shoots in and takes Takada down to the canvas for a cover, but he survives. Pulling Takada in for a powerbomb, he's able to fight free and get Tenryu in another fujiwara, sitting on his back to sinch the hold in deep. He wrenches back with Tenryu face first in the canvas, ultimately forced to submit verbally to the hold. Takada wins!
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| Bending until it breaks. UWF-I |
Overview & Final Rating
🟢 - Highly recommended
A slick blend of both UWF-I and WAR's styles, Tenryu and Takada delivered a hard-hitting, evenly fought match that was a lot of fun to watch. I went into this expecting something a lot closer to a UWF-I type match, but was pleasantly surprised when they managed to bridge the gap between styles and make something work that went right down the middle. Tenryu being the pissed-off, grizzled bear in this match was fun to watch, seeing him adsorb some of Takada'a best and clobber him with heavy shots was pleasing to watch. And Takada, for his part, managed to hold his own and ultimately bested Tenryu with his grappling prowess. This match was a lot of fun and breezed by, check it out and enjoy for yourselves!
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Another week down, friends! I was pretty busy streaming on my Twitch this week as well, and plan on keeping at it on a regular schedule of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 8am EST for the foreseeable, pending employment opportunities that may or may not arise. If plans change, I'll let you folks know.
But, until then, I'll either see you in my Twitch or in next week's Watchlist!
Stay safe, love one another, and be well.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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