[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!
