[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, and next to me is Taka Shimura. World Crown – Night Seven
was our seventh straight night here at Korakuen Hall. A knock out the
full third round tonight before packing everything up and moving the
World Crown proceedings to Budokan for the next two nights. Then,
Taka, we're going to the Tokyo Dome for Night Ten.
SHIMURA: The
sixteen competitors tonight couldn't afford to look that far ahead.
We had many great match ups on the main card, but our night started
with a dark match between Kuni Hishida and IJPW Dojo student Nayoko
Kon. Tashiaki Suzuki was the referee. Kon
brought a singapore cane into the match after five minutes. Both
wrestlers hit each other with it. There was a near fall for Hishida
after bridging a northern lights suplex at around 9:30. Kon almost
got one of her own with a running forearm after 13:30. Hishida got
the pin at 13:57 with La Esparda. Kon had gotten many crown knee
strikes in the match, but Hishida persevered.
KURASAWA: After
the match, Hishida got on the microphone and very briefly mentioned
her match with Fabulous Adrian Bagglio at Budokan tomorrow night. She
said he would regret his invasion of privacy and tomorrow night is
when she gets back to her winning ways on the main cards.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Albert Dixon vs. Suda Tsukasa
KURASAWA:
Albert Dixon has offended
people all of his career with dozens of controversial statements on
social media. His bigotry and racism has become well-known since
touching down in Japan. The former college football offensive tackle
and ex-cop from Arkansas defeated Lainey Boyle in the first round and
received a bye to the third round due to there being an odd number in
the second round draw. After his dark match on Night Five, where he
battered and bloodied IJPW Dojo student Atsumori Nakadai in a
one-sided affair, he ran down Japan with ignorant remarks. Tonight,
he took on Suda Tsukasa and the wave of support behind him.
SHIMURA:
Dixon is a bigger man
physically, but Tsukasa has become one of the biggest stories in the
World Crown tournament. The man has turned back the clock.
KURASAWA:
The country was heavily behind
Tsukasa - “The King of Korakuen Hall.” No man has won more on
this ground. With World Crown moving to Budokan tomorrow, there was
talk that this could be Tsukasa's last match in Korakuen regardless
of the result. Did Tsukasa have more Korakuen Hall magic in him, or
did the big and offensive gaijin put a tragic end to this fairytale?
Masanori Katayanagi was the official for this match.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Freddy Deeds vs. Konosuke Usami
KURASAWA:
Freddy Deeds pissed off a lot
of people last night when he danced around the ring after breaking
Nobuo Shimizu's neck. Konosuke Usami has quickly gained a following
and he told his army of new admirers that he would avenge Shimizu.
Jimmy Erikson was the referee for this match.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Muffin Vanderburg vs. Ricky Doyle
KURASAWA: Muffin
Vanderburg is new to Japan, but her popularity increases after every
match. The fans love her smile and respect her in-ring ability. She
was attacked in the locker room after her match with Jackie Walters
last night by the Deadly Three – Lolly, Lainey, and Lorie. They hit
her with a chair and busted her open. It was a vicious beat down that
couldn't have happened at a worse time. She had 24 hours to recover
before facing IJPW World Tag Team Champion Ricky Doyle – one of the
baddest men to come out of Belfast.
SHIMURA: If
you know anything about Belfast, then you know that speaks volumes
about Ricky Doyle and his brother, Ronnie.
KURASAWA: Toyoko
Toshikura was the official for this match.
POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
[Muffin is going back up the entryway to the locker
room when the Lolly Lea, Lainey Boyle, and Lorie Koenig jump out and
attack! Lainey is holding a steel chair.]
SHIMURA:
[In
Japanese.] They're
attacking her again?!
[The other two throw Muffin into the rails and kick
her before holding her up, allowing “The Boston Bitch” to kick
her in the face before cocking back and cracking the chair into her
skull!]
KURASAWA:
[In
Japanese.] What
a sickening sound! Muffin's cut from last night is opened up!
[The dojo students finally get in there and separate
everyone, but Lainey isn't done. She goes over to the ringside
announcers and grabs a microphone.]
BOYLE:
I'm
tired of hearing about Muffin Vanderburg! Hey Muffin, do you think
anyone here cares about your positive personality or the fact you
stood up to Hojo? No! These people are just a bunch of horny little
nerds. When Lolly, Lorie, and I watched Shimizu break Nicki's arm, we
laughed. We can't stand Charm Explosion. Now we're going to put you
out of action so you and Nicki can spend time together on the
sidelines. I'm going to be the one who will make sure that happens.
Muffin, you and me at the Tokyo Dome! I want the biggest crowd to
watch me bust up that pretty face.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
AKIO vs. Dave Manton
KURASAWA:
AKIO suddenly had a lot on his
plate going into the third round. Not only because World Crown gave
him an opportunity to return to the top spot he fell from so quickly,
but Fabulous Adrian Bagglio has gone after his life partner, Kuni
Hishida. That was touched on earlier. AKIO had to regain his focus
because he was up against a tough beer-and-hockey Canadian in Dave
Manton, who broke Sandra Paisley's neck with a jumping piledriver on
Night One and defeated Raul El Aguila on Night Five. Kanzaburo
Outakara was the referee for this match.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Danjuro Komatsuzaki vs. Riddick
KURASAWA: IJPW
Dojo Master Danjuro Komatsuzaki allowed Ricky Holt to train at the
dojo back in August and September of last year. Holt was just a hot
shot rookie on a Japanese tour with the American promotion he's
contracted to. He had a war of words with Riddick in the press, and
this was before Riddick got the NYPD to attack him. Now Holt and
Riddick make up 2/3's of the Ultraviolence Union and Holt hasn't been
shy in calling out Danjuro for his nationalism and xenophobia. It's
fitting that a man of Danjuro's viewpoints drew Riddick – a gaijin
who became the heart and soul of Rising Sun Wrestling and a true
hardcore wrestling pioneer.
SHIMURA: I
still don't get how we acknowledge Danjuro's viewpoints and we still
have a man like that as the Dojo Master.
KURASAWA: Well
look at all the fucked up shit Riddick has done in his illustrious
career. We're still booking him and paying him big money. Iron Japan
Pro Wrestling isn't supposed to be a safe and pleasant place. People
do and say things here whether anyone else likes it or not. The
official for this match was Nanako
Fujioka.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Jun Hageshii vs. El Loco
KURASAWA: These
are the kind of matches Jun Hageshii lives for. We've talked about
his hatred against the world during this tournament. He hates
veterans and legends with a passion. The young and brash man goes out
of his way to disrespect them. Not many names in wrestling are bigger
than El Loco. The sixteen time Cruiserweight Champion is the most
legendary luchadore to come out of Mexico.
SHIMURA: These
two crossed paths before. Jun made Loco tap out in an Eight Person
Tag Team Match at Puroresu Power – Night Two. Loco looked
determined to not let that happen again, but it's hard to maintain
that determination in the face of an aggressor like Hageshii.
KURASAWA: Mabuchi
Hida had the honor of refereeing this international affair.
POST-MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
[Jun
stomps on Loco, then bends down to grab his mask! The dojo students
jump in to try and pull him away without tearing Loco's mask. Ricky
Holt and Teiji Shintaro run to the ring, and Teiji is fully clothed
and isn't covered in his own shit for a change.]
KURASAWA: [In
Japanese.] Holt and
Teiji are out here! They're attacking the dojo students! Loco's
trying hard to keep his mask on, but now Holt is putting the boots to
him as Teiji is chasing the students with that fork he just took out
of his pocket!
SHIMURA: [In
Japanese.] Look! The
Doyle Brothers are running out!
[Ricky and Ronnie Doyle slide into
the ring and go right at Ricky and Teiji! The two Ricky's trade
blows, with Holt getting the advantage. Ronnie tackles Teiji, but the
madman bites into his left shoulder and the two tumble through the
ropes and to the outside. The dojo students jump on Jun and get him
away from Loco, who rolls out of the ring with his mask torn. He
covers his face while stumbling to the locker room. The dojo students
proceed to break up the brawls between the two tag teams.]
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
John Scroggs vs. Jona Ziesemer
KURASAWA: John
Scroggs' memorable bloodbath against Big Ugly on Night Five was an
instant classic. The Baltimore native turned his attention to East
Berliner Jona Ziesemer, who survived Teiji Shintaro later that night.
Scroggs overwhelms opponents with his size and mean streak. Ziesemer
is one of the greatest technical wrestlers in the world, and he has
one of the boldest minds in the heat of the moment.
SHIMURA: But
it's still a mystery as to why he's graying at such a young age! He's
a healthy man and an incredible athlete. He's definitely in shape.
KURASAWA: He
doesn't seem to be stressed out. Jona either hides it well or this
graying is a genetic thing. Kuni Ariwara was the referee for this
match.
World Crown 2016 Third Round Match
Nobuyoki Katsushika vs. Curt Fleischer
KURASAWA: This
was the rematch of the Grand Opening main event! They fought for the
IJPW World Wrestling Championship in their first match. Now they
happened to be drawn against each other in the third round of the
World Crown tournament. Fleischer added more fuel to the fire by
mentioning Katsushika's girlfriend, Sakura Shizuka.
SHIMURA: Who
isn't talking shit about Sakura at this point?
KURASAWA: He
wasn't talking shit to her, but it was about her. Fleischer said he
would show her what a real man looks like after he was done with
Katsushika. It's been proven that bringing up the jovial giant's
girlfriend will turn him into an angry giant. Cassidy Reischer was
the referee for this historic rematch in our main event.
WRAP-UP
KURASAWA: After
all of that, Taka and I got in the ring and conducted the draw for
the quarter-finals that will take place tomorrow at Budokan. But
first, Taka, how did your predictions pan out tonight?
SHIMURA: I
had Tsukasa over Dixon, Usami over Deeds, Ricky Doyle over Muffin
Vanderburg, AKIO over David Manton, Riddick over Danjuro, Hageshii
over El Loco, John Scroggs over Ziesemer, and Fleischer over
Katsushika. I was 5-3 tonight. I'm
now 39-15-1 in overall tournament predictions.
KURASAWA:
Here
is the full card for tomorrow's matches on your screen, from first
match to last.
QUARTER-FINALS
SATURDAY – NIGHT EIGHT
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan
Non-Tournament Matches
Singles Grudge Match
Kuni Hishida vs. Fabulous Adrian Bagglio
Tag Team Match
Mallory and Mercy (Mallory Northway and Mercy Monroe)
vs. Trans-Pacific Poison (Ginger Mattingly and Nori Imoo)
Singles Grudge Match
Curt Fleischer vs. Sakura Shizuka
Eight Person Tag Team Match
Nate Narwin, Ultraviolence Union (Ricky Holt and Teiji
Shintaro), and Isamu Shinagami vs. Trista Capra, El Loco, Jona
Ziesemer, and Konosuke Usami
Tournament Matches
Dave Manton vs. Freddy Deeds
Riddick vs. Ricky Doyle
Suda Tsukasa vs. Jun Hageshii
John Scroggs vs. Nobuyoki Katsushika
KURASAWA:
Taka,
what are your predictions for the non-tournament matches?
SHIMURA:
Oh,
you didn't say I was going to predict those...
KURASAWA:
Take
a shot just for fun.
SHIMURA:
Okay...
FAB over Hishida. Mallory and Mercy over Trans-Pacific Poison.
Fleischer over Shizuka. Narwin's team will win the Eight Person Tag
Team Match.
KURASAWA:
Now
for your tournament predictions...
SHIMURA:
Deeds
over Manton. Ricky Doyle over Riddick.
KURASAWA:
Wow...
SHIMURA:
It's
not too shocking, is it? I think Doyle will turn it up. We have to
remember that Riddick put his body through hell for so many years.
Here he is competing in big time singles matches night after night in
this tournament. Doyle is the younger man. I can state the same
reasons for why I'm taking Hageshii over Tsukasa. Hageshii is the
younger man. He's riding on his own hatred. Tsukasa isn't in Korakuen
Hall anymore. He's much older than Riddick. What's the wear and tear
like for him during this marathon of a tournament? And in the main
event, I'm going with Katsushika over John Scroggs. Katsushika's
matches have been short in this tournament while Scroggs has competed
in full blown wars. Katsushika is one of the few guys who is bigger
than Scroggs and he is fresher.
KURASAWA:
This
concludes our seven night residency at Korakuen Hall during the World
Crown tournament. Seven straight nights, Taka!
SHIMURA:
It's
not the biggest venue, but there's a lot of romance to this place.
We'll see if it follows Tsukasa to Budokan.
KURASAWA:
Join
us tomorrow night as our road to the Tokyo Dome takes us to Budokan
for the next two nights! It's the quarter-finals and so much more
tomorrow night! We'll see you then! Good night from Tokyo!
[FADE TO BLACK.]
