Iron Road Draw, Cards Announced

The Iron Road draw was held at the Yamashi Building in Tokyo at noon. It was broadcasted on national television and radio. Yo Kurasawa conducted the draw and announced three title matches that will take place in Fukuoka and Matsuyama.

After his fantastic showing in the Death Crown Tournament, Curt Fleischer has been granted an IJPW World Wrestling Championship match after beating the champion, Ronnie Doyle, in the tournament final. The World title match will main event the October 9th show at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center.

Albert Dixon lost the IJPW Television Championship to Isamu Shinagami at Death Crown 2016 - Night Two in a Landmine Deathmatch. Dixon has triggered his rematch clause and will challenge Shinagami for the TV title in Fukuoka.

The Ultraviolence Union, Ricky Holt and Teiji Shintaro, have triggered their rematch clause for the IJPW World Tag Team Championship. They will take on Noble Power, Nobuyoki Katsushika and Sakura Shizuka, at the Matsuyama City Community Center on October 24th.

Iron Road will go to January. Wrestlers must win their qualifying matches in order to take part in Iron Road matches at Budokan Hall on January 21st. There will be another draw conducted, but that time it will see qualified wrestlers fall into random teams of four. The teams of four will compete in elimination matches in a short tournament where eliminated wrestlers are also eliminated from the torunament. At the end, the surviving members of the winning team will then try to eliminate each other. The last person standing will get a shot at the IJPW World Wrestling Championship and a Tokyo Dome main event spot at Battle Bash in February.

IJPW Iron Road: Fukuoka

October 9, 2016

Fukuoka Kokusai Center

Fukuoka, Japan

Tag Team Match

Masuko Matashichi and Masaru Maeda vs. Astro Honami and HATOYAMA

Eight Person Tag Team Match

Riddick, Big Ugly, Danjuro Komatsuzaki, and Jocelin Masterson vs. Dave Manton, Miyazaki Bokkai, Florenza Peretz, and Haruhi Sarumara

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Jona Ziesemer vs. Tae Muraguchi

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Ryuichi Hojo vs. Fabulous Adrian Bagglio

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Jackie Walters vs. Jun Hageshii

IJPW Television Championship

Albert Dixon vs. (c) Isamu Shinagami

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Teiji Shintaro vs. Suda Tsukasa

*** MAIN EVENT ***

IJPW World Wrestling Championship

Curt Fleischer vs. (c) Ronnie Doyle

IJPW Iron Road: Matsuyama
October 24, 2016
Matsuyama City Community Center
Matsuyama, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Haruhi Sarumara vs. Danjuro Komatsuzaki

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Big Ugly vs. Florenza Peretz

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Miyazaki Bokkai vs. Jocelin Masterson

Eight Person Tag Team Match

John Scroggs, Nicki Scherer, Lolly Lea, Ginger Mattingly vs. Los Asesinos (Roberto Lopez and Selena Martinez), Killer Komukai, and Ricky Doyle

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Dave Manton vs. Riddick

*** MAIN EVENT ***

IJPW World Tag Team Championship

Ultraviolence Union (Ricky Holt and Teiji Shintaro) vs. (c) Noble Power (Nobuyoki Katsushika and Sakura Shizuka)

IJPW Iron Road: Hiroshima
October 27, 2016
Hiroshima Sun Plaza
Hiroshima, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Selena Martinez vs. John Scroggs

Eight Person Tag Team Match

Nate Narwin, Masaru Maeda, Albert Dixon, and KANNON vs. Raul La Escopeta, Miss Lizzy, Fujimaro Odaka, and Kayoko Komon

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Roberto Lopez vs. Lolly Lea

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Nicki Scherer vs. Killer Komukai

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Ginger Mattingly vs. Ricky Doyle

IJPW Iron Road: Osaka
November 1, 2016
Edion Arena Osaka
Osaka, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Kayoko Komon vs. Masaru Maeda

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Albert Dixon vs. Fujimaro Odaka

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Miss Lizzy vs. KANNON

Eight Person Tag Team Match

Mallory Northway, Ronnie Doyle, Trista Capra, and Atsumori Nakadai vs. Akuma Usami, Paul Cannon, Satomi Asano, and Masuko Matashichi

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Nate Narwin vs. Raul La Escopeta

IJPW Iron Road: Nagoya
November 12, 2016
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Nagoya, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Atsumori Nakadai vs. Satomi Asano

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Mallory Northway vs. Masuko Matashichi

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Trista Capra vs. Paul Cannon

Eight Person Tag Team Match

Mercy Monroe, Ricky Holt, Stan Ward, and Lorie Koenig vs. El Loco, Markie Bristow, Sun Demon, and Nori Imoo

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Akuma Usami vs. Ronnie Doyle

IJPW Iron Road: Sendai
November 28, 2016
Sendai Sun Plaza
Sendai, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Nori Imoo vs. Lorie Koenig

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Ricky Holt vs. Sun Demon

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Markie Bristow vs. Stan Ward

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Mercy Monroe vs. El Loco

Eight Person Tag Team Match

AKIO, Isamu Shinagami, Hirano Denbe, and Astro Honami vs. Lainey Boyle, Takamuku Arai, HATOYAMA, and Nayoko Kon

IJPW Iron Road: Sapporo
December 10, 2016
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
Sapporo, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Nayoko Kon vs. AKIO

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Takamuku Arai vs. Hirano Denbe

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Astro Honami vs. HATOYAMA

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Lainey Boyle vs. Isamu Shinagami

Eight Person Tag Team Match

Noble Power (Nobuyoki Katsushika and Sakura Shizuka), Muffin Vanderburg, and Morio Kamisaka vs. Curt Fleischer, Naruka no Soko (Ashley Thorne and Vera Vicious), and J Murda

IJPW Iron Road: Yokohama
December 23, 2016
Yokohama Arena
Yokohama, Japan

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Morio Kamisaka vs. Vera Vicious

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Ashley Thorne vs. Muffin Vanderburg

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Sakura Shizuka vs. Curt Fleischer

Iron Road Qualifying Match

Nobuyoki Katsushika vs. J Murda

 IJPW Iron Road: Budokan, Night One
January 21, 2017
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan

Iron Road First Round Match

??? and ??? and ??? and ??? vs. ??? and ??? and ??? and ???

Iron Road First Round Match

??? and ??? and ??? and ??? vs. ??? and ??? and ??? and ??? 

 

Iron Road First Round Match

??? and ??? and ??? and ??? vs. ??? and ??? and ??? and ???

Iron Road First Round Match

??? and ??? and ??? and ??? vs. ??? and ??? and ??? and ???

 

IJPW Iron Road: Budokan, Night Two
January 22, 2017
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan

Iron Road Semi-Finals and Final

IJPW Death Crown 2016 - Night Two

[The scene opens with an aerial shot of a temporary 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 Eric O'Flaherty – a pale man in an Irish flat cap. A video screen is behind them.]

KURASAWA: Welcome to the English language highlights show for Iron Japan Pro Wrestling! We're here at the Todoroki Athletics Stadium in Kawasaki after finishing Death Crown 2016 – Night Two. The first round of the Death Crown Tournament took place last night, where eight wrestlers advanced to the later stages tonight. The IJPW World Tag Team Championship and Television Championship were both on the line in non-tournament action. Also in non-tournament action, AKIO looked to settle the score with Fabulous Adrian Bagglio once and for all. I'm Yo Kurasawa, and I was joined by “Samurai X” Misao Sakurai during the show for live Japanese commentary. Here, I'm joined by Eric O'Flaherty – Pro Wrestling's Rogue Manager and founder of the Ultraviolence Union.

O'FLAHERTY: Hello, everyone.

KURASAWA: We had ten matches tonight, so let's get right into it...

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

J Murda vs. Ronnie Doyle

KURASAWA: Night Two started with the IJPW World Wrestling Champion in action! Ronnie Doyle scored a knockout victory against Big Ugly in under five minutes last night. The World Champion took on Ugly's former partner and Detroit street nemesis-turned-wrestling-nemesis – J Murda, who defeated AKIO in a KO win after the ring explosions. After losing his feud to Big Ugly, Murda knew that his singles career could take off if he beat the World Champion! Cassidy Reischer was the referee for this match.

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Ricky Holt vs. Paul Cannon

KURASAWA: This was the battle for bragging rights back home, wasn't it, Eric?

O'FLAHERTY: Aye... Ricky Holt from Minneapolis and Paul Cannon from up north in Grand Rapids.

KURASAWA: Holt got a massive win over his tag partner, Teiji “The Terror” Shintaro, and eliminated a man who many thought would win this tournament. Ricky got up after the ring explosion and Teiji didn't. Cannon defeated Dave Manton after his opponent also failed to get up after an explosion. It was “The General” Ricky Holt vs. “The Hardcore Lumberjack” Paul Cannon, the Cities vs. Up North, thousands of miles away here in Kawasaki! The referee for this match was Kanzaburo Outakara.

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Curt Fleischer vs. Akuma Usami

KURASAWA: Akuma Usami defeated the leader in Naraku no Soko, KANNON, in order to advance to the quarter-finals. We still haven't heard anything from the Naraku no Soko camp after yesterday's result, so it seems like they've closed rank. What did Akuma get for defeating the man who sucked him into Naraku no Soko? He got to face the raging muscleman that is Curt Fleischer, who defeated John Scroggs in last night's main event. Fleischer was breathing fire as he entered Kawasaki Stadium tonight. He knew winning the Death Crown could lead to a shot at the IJPW World title, especially if he was going to pick up results like that throughout the tournament! Kuni Ariwara was the referee for this match.

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Riddick vs. Nate Narwin

KURASAWA: This dream match was a longtime in the making! Both men were banned from the Shootclub Wrestling Alliance at around the same time. Both know what it's like to be the biggest heel in the world. Both have committed some of the most heinous actions in wrestling history. But Riddick knows what it's like to be a two-time SWA World Heavyweight Champion. He's the first ever IJPW World Crown holder. He's sold out the Tokyo Dome. Narwin's greatest achievement before tonight was the SWA United States Championship. He got himself banned from wrestling before reaching his full potential.

O'FLAHERTY: And it's been said on this program in the past about Narwin... He was a drunken and drugged up maniac even back then, but he could go in the ring. He was violent as fuck, but he was the perfect mix between a brawler and a technical wrestler. Riddick always had that mix too, but it took him a career to come up with “technicore.” Narwin was doing that the whole time, which is why it's sad to see him like how he was in this match. I don't have to give away any results for you to know what I'm saying. Narwin is so lost in his cocaine blizzards and alcohol tsunamis that he doesn't look like he knows how to put a match together anymore. He'll get by on toughness and being hardcore, but the man doesn't have a clear strategy or plan. He's a fucking mess.

KURASAWA: This was the last match in the quarter-finals. Masanori Katayanagi was the referee in this long-awaited encounter.

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

Singles Grudge Match

AKIO vs. Fabulous Adrian Bagglio

KURASAWA: AKIO returned to his deathmatch roots in a losing effort against J Murda in the first round last night. The ring explosion knocked him out. Fabulous Adrian Bagglio came out, attacked Kuni Hishida and did even more damage to her already-injured ankle, then carried out a vicious assault on a bloody AKIO. He told AKIO to find it in him to be here tonight, no matter what his condition, because if he would be “his forever” if he failed to show up or beat him. AKIO showed up! He went through hell yesterday and was willing to fight a fresh Adrian Bagglio. He had revenge on his mind. FAB has made life hell for AKIO and Hishida in these last few months. Could AKIO defeat the crazed man or was he destined to be Bagglio's forever? Nene Hishikawa was the referee for this grudge match.

Death Crown Tournament Semi-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Ronnie Doyle vs. Paul Cannon

KURASAWA: Ronnie Doyle won his first two tournament matches via knockout – punching out Big Ugly and surviving an explosion against J Murda. Cannon was much more rested after beating Holt in a seven minute match earlier in the night – avoiding an explosion by three minutes. Toyoko Toshikura was the referee for this barbaric semi-final encounter between “The Hardcore Lumberjack” and the IJPW World Wrestling Champion.

Death Crown Tournament Semi-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Curt Fleischer vs. Riddick

KURASAWA: Riddick went through hell against Narwin, and things weren't going to get easier.

O'FLAHERTY: I know all about Fleischer. I grew up in the same area and heard stories about his bar fights. I told Riddick that he was up against one of the most formidable opponents he's ever faced. Riddick's faced all sorts of tough and crazy people. A lot of them were probably even tougher and crazier than Fleischer, but none of them were as big and strong. Fleischer is a freak athlete. He can dominate anybody. I told Riddick that he's gotta hang in there, try to get through the explosion, and hope it hurts Fleischer enough to take advantage and go from there.

KURASAWA: The official for this match was Nanako Fujioka.

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

IJPW Television Championship

 Isamu Shinagami vs. (c) Albert Dixon

KURASAWA: Albert Dixon is the most hated man in Japan after his constant racism on social media. He successfully defended the Television title at Violent Conduct last month, beating Lainey Boyle in a rematch on Night One and beating Suda Tsukasa on Night Two. But Isamu Shinagami returned from his brief tour of North America and spewed green mist in his face! Shinagami said that the war was still on against Naraku no Soko, but he could also fight on this front and take the Television title off of the former Arkansas cop and college football offensive lineman. Jimmy Erikson was the official for this match.

POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS...

[The crowd is on their feet at Kawasaki Stadium as a bloody Shinagami admires the IJPW Television Championship!]

CROWD: I-SA-MU! I-SA-MU! I-SA-MU! I-SA-MU! I-SA-MU!

[Shinagami reaches through the ropes to grab a microphone from a dojo student. The crowd quiets down...]

SHINAGAMI: [In Japanese.] Naraku no Soko...

[Raises the title belt in the air.]

COME AND GET ME!

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

IJPW World Tag Team Championship

 Naraku no Soko (Ashley Thorne and Vera Vicious) vs. (c) Noble Power (Nobuyoki Katsushika and Sakura Shizuka)

KURASAWA: These two teams met in the Team Crown final in July, where Noble Power came out on top. The famous couple of Katsushika and Shizuka went on to win the IJPW World Tag Team Championship at Violent Conduct – Night One. Night Two wasn't as special for them as Shizuka lost to Vera Vicious in a grudge match and Katsushika got knocked out to lose the IJPW World Wrestling Championship in the main event. Katsushika has decided not to look for a rematch right away and wanted to focus on defending the World Tag Team Championship. Vera continued to attack Sakura in the media and accuse her of being with Katsushika to get to the top, and also lorded the Violent Conduct result over her. Revenge was on the mind in both camps! Could Noble Power defend the straps in their first match as champions? Mabuchi Hida was the referee for this match.

 *** MAIN EVENT ***

Death Crown Tournament Final

 Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Ronnie Doyle vs. Curt Fleischer

KURASAWA: Two of the biggest and meanest wrestlers made it to the final! Ronnie Doyle wanted to leave with the IJPW World title on one shoulder and the Death Crown on the other. Fleischer knew that beating the World Champ in the Death Crown Final would get him in front of the line for a World title shot. The official for this match was Tashiaki Suzuki.

POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS...

[Fleischer stands in the middle of the ring with the Death Crown belt over his shoulder. He has a microphone in hand. He looks back and sees a bloody Ronnie Doyle being carried out.]

FLEISCHER: There's the champ over there! Look at him! Look at me!

[He holds the Death Crown belt in the air, makes his pecs bounce, then flexes his arms.]

Yeah! I'm the fucking Death Crown holder! All these bad mother fuckers in IJPW and I'm the baddest mother fucker in the company! I'm the king of the deathmatch! I beat John Scroggs! I beat Akuma Usami – Naraku no Soko's best! I beat Riddick and I'd beat the shit out of the rest of those Ultraviolence Union pussies too! I beat the World Champ! I'm the best in IJPW as far as I'm concerned! I deserve a World title shot! I'm coming for you, Ronnie Doyle! I'll beat you again! I deserve to be number one contender! Make that match happen, Kurasawa!

BACK IN THE STUDIO...

KURASAWA: What are your thoughts on Fleischer's comments, Eric?

O'FLAHERTY: The Ultraviolence Union certainly are not pussies. It's hard to argue with everything else he said. He won the Death Crown Tournament. He beat some of the best while doing it, so you can't say he got a lucky draw. He beat the World Champion. Fleischer should get a title shot.

KURASAWA: What are your general thoughts on the show?

O'FLAHERTY: I'm obviously disappointed that Holt lost to Cannon in seven minutes, but “The Hardcore Lumberjack” is a big guy who hits hard. AKIO got a big win against Bagglio and could use that momentum to move back to the upper midcard, which is what he needs to do if he wants to be a main event wrestler again. I knew Noble Power would beat Vera and Ashley, but I didn't think Shinagami would beat Dixon.

KURASAWA: How do you feel about Shinagami calling out Naraku no Soko?

O'FLAHERTY: This whole thing worked to perfection for Shinagami. He took a rest by moving away from his war with Naraku no Soko to go after the TV title. It would've been hard to continue a war against a stable like Naraku no Soko after failing to win the TV title, but he pulled it off and now he's no longer chasing them. They're chasing him! But which member of Naraku no Soko will challenge him for the strap? The only one who I think doesn't deserve a shot is Thorne. The other three I could easily see in a TV title match.

KURASAWA: You don't think Albert Dixon wins it back in a rematch?

O'FLAHERTY: Dixon hates Japan so much. I'm shocked he came back here to go after the Television title in the first place. I thought we'd never see him again after World Crown. I don't know what to expect, honestly. I can see him invoking the rematch clause just as much as I can see him never coming back here again.

KURASAWA: There will be many opportunities for him to invoke the rematch clause. We're heading into Iron Road season, which will take us up to the end of January. This is what the Iron Road schedule looks like:

[The schedule appears on screen, reading:]

IJPW Iron Road: Fukuoka

October 9, 2016

Fukuoka Kokusai Center

Fukuoka, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Matsuyama

October 24, 2016

Matsuyama City Community Center

Matsuyama, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Hiroshima

October 27, 2016

Hiroshima Sun Plaza

Hiroshima, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Osaka

November 1, 2016

Edion Arena Osaka

Osaka, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Nagoya

November 12, 2016

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

Nagoya, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Sendai

November 28, 2016

Sendai Sun Plaza

Sendai, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Sapporo

December 10, 2016

Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center

Sapporo, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Yokohama

December 23, 2016

Yokohama Arena

Yokohama, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Budokan, Night One

January 21, 2017

Nippon Budokan

Tokyo, Japan

IJPW Iron Road: Budokan, Night Two

January 22, 2017

Nippon Budokan

Tokyo, Japan

KURASAWA: Every show leading up to the Budokan Hall dates will feature four Iron Road qualifying matches. Those match-ups will be determined in a draw at the IJPW Headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday. The winners of those matches will enter another draw, where they will be placed in teams of four. Night One at Budokan will see four first round elimination matches. Once someone is eliminated, they are done. Period. If their team advances, then they can't advance with them. The next rounds will take place the next night. If there's still more than one remaining member of the winning team in the final, those members will fight each other until there's only one left standing. The winner of Iron Road will get a shot at the IJPW World Wrestling Championship at Battle Bash and headline the Tokyo Dome.

O'FLAHERTY: It's gonna be a hell of a journey between now and then. The thing about Iron Road is that you can't even begin to speculate who will win. There's so much that goes into this. It's not just about being a good wrestler or even being tough. There's the patience. We're doing this from October to January. You gotta be ready to wrestle whenever. Your qualifying match could be one of the first ones in October. You might have to wait until December. Even if you get it out of the way in October, you still have to show up in January at Budokan Hall. You're simply not going to win Iron Road if you're not a consistent performer. I don't want to take anything away from the Crown Tournaments, but it's easier to hit good form for a weekend or a few weeks and get hot at the right time. It's going to be harder to do that for Iron Road. Only a consistent performer can come out on top.

KURASAWA: The Iron Road draw will be at noon on Wednesday. It will be on national television and radio. I will conduct the draw at the IJPW Headquarters in Tokyo. As you saw, our first stop on the Iron Road is the Fukuoka Kokusai Center on October 9th! You'll see Misao Sakurai and I doing live Japanese commentary and, of course, Eric and I will do the English highlights show. That does it for us at the Todoroki Athletics Stadium. Thank you for tuning in this weekend! For Eric O'Flaherty, I'm Yo Kurasawa. Good night from Kawasaki! We'll see you on the Iron Road!

[The show fades out into a commercial for DeathTube – the Death Trip Wrestling show that will take place at Korakuen Hall on October 3rd.]

IJPW Death Crown 2016 - Night One

[The scene opens with an aerial shot of a temporary 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 Eric O'Flaherty – a pale man in an Irish flat cap. A video screen is behind them.]

KURASAWA: Welcome to the English language highlights show for Iron Japan Pro Wrestling! We're coming to you from the Todoroki Athletics Stadium in Kawasaki after Night One of Death Crown 2016! Tonight saw nothing but first round tournament action as sixteen wrestlers competed in Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatches! The explosions were set to go off after ten minutes. The ring was littered with various weapons for the most hardcore wrestlers in the world to use. When the night was done, eight competitors had advanced to the later stages tomorrow night. I'm Yo Kurasawa. Joining me is Pro Wrestling's Rogue Manager and founder of the Ultraviolence Union – Eric O'Flaherty.

O'FLAHERTY: It's great to be here. A lot of violence tonight. This is what I wanna see. This is what attracted me to the business. Deathmatch wrestling was a dying art for a number of years, and it makes me happy to see Goro Yamashi bring it back with his promotions – Iron Japan Pro Wrestling and the newly-formed Death Trip Wrestling!

KURASAWA: Eric and I will talk about DTW later. Tonight was all about the quest for the Death Crown.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

J Murda vs. AKIO

KURASAWA: AKIO has been through a rollercoaster feud with Fabulous Adrian Bagglio that's affected the personal and professional lives of him and his girlfriend, “White Tiger” Kuni Hishida. Hishida's road to recovery from a broken ankle has seen some bumps. She hasn't recovered as quickly as she should have, but Kuni was in the front row to support her man. AKIO started his career as a deathmatch worker, so this was a return to his roots as he took on J Murda – a man who lost his feud with Big Ugly after their temporary tag team broke up following their Team Crown exit. Nene Hishikawa was the referee for this match. I was joined at ringside by “Samurai X” Misao Sakurai for Japanese commentary.

POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS...

[J Murda has left. Medics are attending to a bloody AKIO, who's just starting to stir. The crowd gets riled as a tall blond man in a shiny suit walks down one of the aisles.]

KURASAWA: [In Japanese.] It's Fabulous Adrian Bagglio! He just won't leave AKIO alone!

SAKURAI: [In Japanese.] Now AKIO is at his weakest! This is his best chance to strike!

KURASAWA: [In Japanese.] Look! Hishida is climbing the barricade, but her ankle is still not one-hundred percent! This is bad!

[FAB runs over and attacks Hishida before she can get all the way over the barricade. A knee to the midsection doubles her over. FAB wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her over his shoulders. Putting his hands under her arm pits, he lifts her up as she kicks and squirms in the air, but there's nothing she can do as FAB slams her down on the ground with the Glamour Shot (Razor's Edge)! FAB pulls a chair out from under the ring and brings it down over Hishida's bad ankle! He does it again! And again! And again! Hishida screams out after each blow!]

KURASAWA: [In Japanese.] This is going to put Hishida out for even longer! FAB has lost it! He was crazy before! Now he's gone off the deep end!

[FAB slides into the ring where medics are attending to AKIO. He chases them away with the chair, then turns his attention to the man he came for. FAB stabs the chair repeatedly into AKIO'S chest! After doing it four times, he throws it aside before mounting and hitting him with free punches to the head! FAB calls for a microphone and reaches through the ropes to grab it from a dojo student.]

BAGGLIO: You and me... Tomorrow night! I don't care what your condition is right now. If you want me gone and out of your life, you have to find it in yourself to show up in this ring tomorrow night! Fight me in a Landmine Deathmatch! If you win, then I will leave you alone... If I win, or if you fail to show up, then you're mine forever...

[FAB drops the microphone and slithers on top of AKIO, making sure to get his crotch in AKIO'S face as he holds himself up and sticks his tongue out at the camera.]

KURASAWA: [In Japanese.] AKIO has just been blown up! He's a bloody mess! They gotta carry him out! How is he going to be in any condition to beat FAB tomorrow?! Will he even be able to show up?!

SAKURAI: [In Japanese.] He doesn't have a choice if he wants FAB out of his life. FAB also just made Hishida's road to recovery even more difficult. There has to be permanent damage in that ankle by now. He's humiliated and ruined the lives of AKIO and Hishida. AKIO needs to dig deep and be back here tomorrow night.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Paul Cannon vs. Dave Manton

KURASAWA: “The Hardcore Lumberjack” Paul Cannon is known for his ultraviolent brawls around the American indy scene – the upper midwest in particular.

O'FLAHERTY: Oh yeah. I saw him around the Twin Cities a number of times. He's violent, but he's also very big. There's not much people can do against Cannon.

KURASAWA: Manton has earned a lot of notoriety in IJPW. The Winnipeg native broke two necks with his jumping piledriver during the World Crown Tournament. It's harder to lift a man the size of Cannon, but that's a lot of weight on his neck if he gets hit with a jumping piledriver. Nanako Fujioka with the referee for this match.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Akuma Usami vs. KANNON

KURASAWA: This match created a lot of intrigue after the tournament draw. It was the first of three inner-stable matches tonight. KANNON defeated the up-and-coming Konosuke Usami at World Crown and took him into what would become Naraku no Soko. Konosuke became Akuma and hasn't looked back. Tonight, he fought Naraku no Soko's leader – The King of the Dark World. The referee for this match was Toyoko Toshikura

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Ronnie Doyle vs. Big Ugly

KURASAWA: Ronnie Doyle shocked the world again at Violent Conduct – Night Two last month when he knocked out Nobuyoki Katsushika. That time it was in a triple threat match where he won the IJPW World Wrestling Championship. The Belfast brawler entered the Death Crown Tournament with hopes of leaving Kawasaki with two belts over his shoulders. Tonight, the champ took on Big Ugly – a Detroit street fighter and backyard wrestler who's looking to make a mark on IJPW's singles scene after Freddy Deeds got his neck broken and a team with J Murda was short-lived. Kuni Ariwara was the referee for this match.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Trista Capra vs. Nate Narwin

KURASAWA: Nate Narwin and The Original Deathmatch Queen have had a grudge since the first round of World Crown. They fought to a thirty minute draw that resulted in both of their eliminations. In a fatal four way to determine the first IJPW Television Champion, it was Capra who pinned Narwin. Both of them already had a lot of personal stake before the tournament draw. This first round draw made it an even bigger occasion. Narwin badly wants a return to former glory and Capra wants to establish her legacy with the most elite hardcore wrestlers. Tashiaki Suzuki was the official for this match.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Teiji Shintaro vs. Ricky Holt

KURASAWA: This was our second inner-stable battle – an all-Ultraviolence Union affair between members of the former IJPW World Tag Team Champions!

O'FLAHERTY: Teiji “The Terror” Shintaro has been a joy to manage. Not easy, but a joy because of how scared he makes his opposition. It's easy to take up a murderous bastard like Teiji. An anarchist who eats his own shit and smears it all over himself and attacks his opponents with it. He's the living embodiment of the deathmatch. However, Ricky Holt has been my friend since childhood. We grew up together in South Minneapolis. He's had a tough time these last two months and Ricky's badly needed a win.

KURASAWA: Cassidy Reischer was the referee for this match.

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Riddick vs. Jun Hageshii

KURASAWA: Our last inner-stable match was another all-Ultraviolence Union showdown. Jun Hageshii drew the wrath of Riddick when he tapped out to Ricky Holt in the first round of the Team Crown Tournament, ruining a chance at a Double Crown. Riddick made Jun tap out again a month later at Violent Conduct, then teamed with him the next night in a Six-Man Tag that ended in a thirty minute draw.

O'FLAHERTY: Don't forget that Riddick told Jun he would push him to his limits after their Violent Conduct match. He told Jun that if he couldn't go with it, that he would fucking die.

KURASAWA: Would Jun finally earn respect from the IJPW World Crown holder? The referee for this match was Masanori Katayanagi.

*** MAIN EVENT ***

Death Crown Tournament First Round Match

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Curt Fleischer vs. John Scroggs

KURASAWA: Two of the most bruising gaijin wrestlers headlined the first round. John Scroggs has voiced his desire to fight Ronnie Doyle for the IJPW World Wrestling Championship after he wasn't pinned, submitted, or knocked out in the triple threat match at Violent Conduct – Night Two. There hasn't been any matches set up yet because anything could happen in the Death Crown Tournament that might change the order of contenders. One man who was hoping to use the tournament to earn a shot at the World title was Curt Fleischer. These two guys weren't just fighting to advance in this tournament. They fought to be considered for a World title shot! The referee for this match was Mabuchi Hida.

BACK IN THE STUDIO...

KURASAWA: Eric, what are your thoughts after the first round?

O'FLAHERTY: I thought AKIO would beat J Murda. These matches are open because you can get more offense in before ten minutes are up, then hope you have the energy and toughness to get up from an explosion. That's how J Murda beat AKIO. The other results don't surprise me, even though I expected KANNON to beat Usami. I wonder how Naraku no Soko will go forward after the leader lost to one of his recruits. KANNON seems like the kind of leader who never wants anyone to outshine him. He wants to be the clear number one. I bet those two will have a long talk and maybe even some fists.

KURASAWA: Do you think Naraku no Soko might have some in-house trouble after tonight?

O'FLAHERTY: Oh yeah. We'll have to see though. Whatever happens, I'm sure Vera Vicious and Ashley Thorne will continue to be a tag team.

KURASAWA: That will lead us into tomorrow night's card, where those two challenge for the World Tag Team Championship. The Death Crown quarter-final draw was held in the ring after the main event. Here are the tournament and non-tournament matches that are booked for Night Two:

[The card graphic appears on the screen.]

 *** MAIN EVENT ***

Death Crown Tournament Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

??? vs. ???

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

IJPW World Tag Team Championship

Naraku no Soko (Ashley Thorne and Vera Vicious) vs. (c) Noble Power (Nobuyoki Katsushika and Sakura Shizuka)

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

IJPW Television Championship

Isamu Shinagami vs. (c) Albert Dixon

Death Crown Tournament Semi-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

??? vs. ???

Death Crown Tournament Semi-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

??? vs. ???

Non-Tournament Landmine Deathmatch

Singles Grudge Match

AKIO vs. Fabulous Adrian Bagglio

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Riddick vs. Nate Narwin

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Curt Fleischer vs. Akuma Usami

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

Ricky Holt vs. Paul Cannon

Death Crown Tournament Quarter-Final

Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch

J Murda vs. Ronnie Doyle

KURASAWA: After looking at the card, Eric, what are your predictions for tomorrow?

O'FLAHERTY: Ronnie over Murda, Holt over Cannon, Fleischer over Usami, Riddick over Narwin in a dream match that's been many years in the making, FAB over AKIO, Dixon over Shinagami, Noble Power over Vera and Ashley, and the Death Crown winner will either be Riddick or Ricky Holt.

KURASAWA: Pulling for your own guys to go all the way?

O'FLAHERTY: Oh yeah. The Ultraviolence Union is where the Death Crown belongs. Riddick vs. Narwin will be the match of the quarter-finals. Two legendary bastards. Two of the most vile individuals to ever step into a ring. Riddick's pissed on his brother's corpse. Narwin opened a beer bottle with a woman's nether regions in the middle of a ring. They've never faced each other before. To do it for the first time in an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch? It's going to be a historic night for many reasons at the Todoroki Athletics Stadium. One of those reasons could be a historic Double Crown for Riddick.

KURASAWA: That does it for us tonight. Join us back here tomorrow for Death Crown 2016 – Night Two. For Eric O'Flaherty, I'm Yo Kurasawa. Good night from Kawasaki, Japan!

[The show fades out into a commercial for DeathTube – the Death Trip Wrestling show that will take place at Korakuen Hall on October 3rd.]