[The scene opens with an aerial shot
of a studio set. There are two men sitting behind a desk. One is Yo
Kurasawa - the legendary commentator, notorious pervert, and current
Vice President of Talent Relations and Head Booker for Iron Japan.
Next to him is Taka Shimura - another veteran voice in puroresu. A
video screen is behind them.]
KURASAWA: Welcome to the English
language highlight show for Iron Japan Pro Wrestling! I'm Yo
Kurasawa. Sitting next to me is my longtime colleague and good
friend, Taka Shimura. Tonight was the first night of the first ever
World Crown. Earlier this month, 64 wrestlers had their names drawn
at the IJPW Headquarters to determine the first round match-ups. It
was the first step on someone's journey to World Crown glory, where
they hope to win this belt right here...
SHIMURA: Two
competitors will headline Night Ten at the Tokyo Dome. One will take
the World Crown belt and come back to the Dome again in June for a
shot at the World Wrestling Championship at International Incident.
KURASAWA: The
reigning World Champion is Nobuyoki Katsushika. If he wins the World
Crown, he will get to choose his challenger at International
Incident. He's already said that he will pick Ronnie Doyle after the
Belfast brawler knocked
him out in
the semi-finals of the World Tag Team Championship Tournament during
Puroresu Power.
SHIMURA:
Ronnie
must be feeling good. Katsushika is a favorite to win, so Ronnie
probably likes his chances of headlining the Tokyo Dome. Even if
Katsushika falls out, Ronnie has the knockout power to punch his own
ticket.
KURASAWA:
But
neither of those men were in action tonight. That didn't leave us
short of stars here at Korakuen Hall.
SHIMURA:
Definitely
not. There was a lot of talent, and you can say the same for every
other night of the tournament. These are the best wrestlers in the
world. But we started our night with a dark match involving four IJPW
Dojo students: Atsumori
Nakadai and Masuko Matashichi vs. Nayoko Kon and Masaru Maeda.
Masanori Katayanagi was the official. Kon got busted open after
Masuko broke a light tube over her head at around four minutes. There
was some ringside brawling. Masuko dominated Maeda close to the final
stretch, but the match ended in a fifteen minute time limit draw.
KURASAWA:
Then
finally, after all the anticipation, we finally kicked off the first
round of the World Crown!
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Michinori Osaragi vs. Fujimaro Odaka
KURASAWA:
Osaragi
is known as a tag team specialist who makes up one-half of Blazing
Lions. The decorated tag team star took on Fujimaro Odaka, who was
making his first appearance in IJPW. The referee for this match was
Mabuchi Hida.
POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
[Trainers and EMT's are in the ring tending to Osaragi. Morio
Komisaka, Osaragi's longtime tag team partner, hurries to the ring
with great concern. He passes by Odaka, who hasn't shown any concern
for Osaragi.]
BACK AT THE STUDIO
SHIMURA: That's a hell of a
way to start the first ever World Crown. Odaka made a statement.
KURASAWA: The latest update
on Michinori Osaragi is that he has suffered a broken neck. He's
expected to miss a considerable amount of time. We wish him well.
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Roberto Lopez vs. Lolly Lea
KURASAWA: These
next two encountered each other in a Six Person Tag Team Match at the
Grand Opening in March. Roberto Lopez didn't always wear a mask. He
didn't adopt one until his first tour of Japan when he dug Sawa's
mask out of a trash bin. He took on Lolly Lea – a very strong woman
who is the powerhouse of the Deadly Three. It was a rising
“lucharesu” star against one of the meanest girls in the American
indies. The referee for this match was Nanako Fujioka.
World Crown First Round Match
Nicki Scherer vs. Nobuo Shimizu
KURASAWA:
Nicki
Scherer made her name in the British indies as one of the most
technically proficient wrestlers to come out of England. She went up
against Nobuo Shimizu – a man who has snapped more limbs with his
submission holds than anyone. Tashiaki Suzuki was the referee for
this contest.
BACK AT THE STUDIO
SHIMURA:
That's
how dangerous Shimizu is. He turned a situation where he was on his
back into an arm-snapping double arm bar. Shimizu pulled it off so
effortlessly. He was sympathetic afterward. He's always sympathetic
after, but he does these submissions in such a cold-blooded manner.
It's scary to see how an otherwise kind man can turn into such a
killer in that ring.
KURASAWA:
Scherer
has been diagnosed with a broken arm. She should be ready to come
back for Team Crown in July.
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Big Ugly vs. Astro Honami
KURASAWA:
Big
Ugly is one of the most notorious hardcore wrestlers on the planet.
Astro Honami is a young man who hoped to get his biggest win to date
by trumping the former backyard wrestler and street fighter from
Detroit. Nene Hishikawa was the official for this match.
POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
[The bell may have rung, but Big Ugly isn't done. He
grabs Honami and throws him through the ropes, spilling him to the
ringside floor. Big Ugly bounces his head off the railing and
proceeds to choke him. The dojo students attending ringside manage to
pull him away. He spits on a fan in the front row before exiting to
the locker room.]
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
HATOYAMA vs. Suda Tsukasa
KURASAWA:
Suda
Tsukasa has debated retirement for awhile, but he clearly wants to be a
World Champion again before hanging up the boots. “The King of
Korakuen Hall” said this might be his last opportunity to do it.
HATOYAMA considered it a privilege to have a Korakuen Hall match with
Tsukasa, who has the greatest win/loss record and more iconic moments
in Korakuen Hall than anyone. Cassidy Reischer was the referee for
this bout.
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Miyazaki Bokkai vs. Riddick
KURASAWA:
Miyazaki
Bokkai's biggest win to date came at the Grand Opening against the
legendary El Loco. He didn't stop talking about it for a month.
Tonight, “The Eternal Flame” took on the most revered and
barbaric gaijin of them all – Riddick. The madman from Michigan
fought Konosuke Usami in an epic battle at the Grand Opening, but he
didn't come out on top. He went undefeated with his Ultraviolence
Union pals at Puroresu Power. Riddick hoped to translate his
multi-man success into singles success, which is something he's been
struggling to do since his return to pro wrestling last year. The
official for this bout was Kanzaburo Outakara.
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Dave Manton vs. Sandra Paisley
KURASAWA:
Dave
Manton didn't manage to get his hands on the IJPW World Tag Team
titles at Puroresu Power, but the former bouncer and beer league
hockey player from Winnipeg looked forward to carving a path to the
Tokyo Dome main event. Tonight, he took on Sandra Paisley – a bold
woman who has won a few titles in the United States. Kuni Ariwara was
the official for this match.
BACK AT THE STUDIO
KURASAWA:
The
last update on Paisley is that she has a broken neck. We wish her the
best of luck in her road to recovery.
*** MAIN EVENT ***
World Crown 2016 First Round Match
Mercy Monroe vs. Ricky Holt
KURASAWA:
Mercy
Monroe is one of wrestling's biggest superstars – a cross-platform
entertainer who has never lost sight of professional wrestling, which
she considers her true passion. She's a dynamic fighter with some of
the most brutal kicks in the business. She took on Ricky Holt – a
violent all-rounder who is at the end of his rookie year. Ricky is
controversial, arrogant, and sadistic... You have to be sadistic to
be in the Ultraviolence Union. However, he's one of the finest
talents in wrestling today. It was The Queen vs. The General in our
main event.
WRAP-UP
KURASAWA:
It
was an eventful night to kickoff World Crown. Taka, any thoughts?
SHIMURA:
We
had three serious injuries in one night. Two broken necks and a
broken arm. How much of a roster will we have left at this rate? Are
we even going to be able to put on a show when Night Ten comes
around?
KURASAWA:
Well,
this tournament has 64 entrants... It would have to be quite the body
count to prevent us from running a show fit for the Tokyo Dome.
SHIMURA:
With
violent men like the Ultraviolence Union, and deadly submission
experts like Shimizu, I get the feeling that there's going to be a
trail of broken bodies leading up to the World Crown Final.
KURASAWA:
We'll
be back here at Korakuen Hall tomorrow night to continue the first
round. Here is the rundown of matches, from first to last, as you see
on the screen...
Danjuro Komatsuzaki vs. Selena Martinez
Jackie Walters vs. Lorie Koenig
Christy Hayden vs. AKIO
Ricky Doyle vs. Paul Cannon
Florenza Peretz vs. Sun Demon
Jocelin Masterson vs. Freddy Deeds
Muffin Vanderburg vs. Markie Bristow
Ashley Thorne vs. Mallory Northway
KURASAWA:
Taka,
any predictions?
SHIMURA:
Danjuro
over Selena. Jackie over Koenig. AKIO over Hayden. Cannon over Doyle.
Sun Demon over Peretz. Deeds over Masterson. Bristow over Vanderburg.
Northway over Thorne.
KURASAWA:
How
did you do with tonight's predictions?
SHIMURA:
I
had Odaka, Lopez, Shimizu, Big Ugly, HATOYAMA-
KURASAWA:
You
picked against Tsukasa in Kurakuen?
SHIMURA:
He's
old and HATOYAMA's hungry. It's not like nobody has ever beaten
Tsukasa here before. I also had Riddick, Manton, and Monroe... So
that makes me 6-2 in World Crown predictions so far.
KURASAWA:
It
already looks to be an exciting ten nights. Join us again tomorrow,
here at Korakuen Hall. Next to me is Taka Shimura. I'm Yo Kurasawa.
Good night!
[FADE TO BLACK.]
