Puroresu Review: Puroresu DVD Sampler

Reviews

Puroresu DVD Sampler
by IVPVideos.com

So you want to get into puroresu but don’t know where to start? Check this bitch out. This week I will be reviewing a Puroresu DVD Sampler created by IVPVideos.com. What is special about the sampler isn’t just the variety of matches, but the price – Chris is selling the disk for only 25 cents. The idea is that it would be a good introduction for new puroresu fans as every match is a different style and is from a different promotion. Course, shipping prices still apply, but if you want to watch matches in great quality (well, the older matches are in lower quality, but the point is the same) and not sitting in front of your computer, then this is about as cheap as it is going to get. You can purchase the Puroresu DVD Sampler here. Here is the full line-up for the DVD:

– Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda, and Kanemaru vs. Morishima, Yone, and KENTA (NOAH, 2/17/06)
– Giant Bernard vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW, 4/30/06)
– Ryo Saito, Dragon Kid, and Horiguchi vs. CIMA, Don Fujii, and Naruki Doi (Dragon Gate, 7/3/05)
– Big Japan Death Match Championship: Takashi Sasaki vs. Naoki Numazawa (BJPW, 6/26/06)
– Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and Jun Akiyama vs. Kawada, Akira Taue, and Fuchi (AJPW, 1993)
– Mayumi Ozaki and Dynamite Kansai vs. Toshiyo Yamada and Manami Toyota (AJW, 11/26/92)
– Ebessan vs. Kushinbo Kamen (Osaka Pro, 2/1/03)

Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda, and Kanemaru vs. Takeshi Morishima, Mohammed Yone, and KENTA
This match took place on February 17th, 2006 in NOAH. They brawl to start the match, with Morishima and Kobashi alone in the ring. Clothesline by Morishima in the corner, he Irish whips Kobashi to the opposite side and hits another running clothesline. Backdrop suplex by Morishima, cover, but Kobashi barely gets a shoulder up. Morishima picks up KENTA and goes for a second one, but Kobashi grabs the ropes so Morishima tags in KENTA. Kicks by KENTA to Kobashi, he goes off the ropes and gives him a boot to the head. KENTA picks up Kobashi but Kobashi hits a series of chops. KENTA replies with kicks, he goes out to the apron and delivers a missile dropkick. Cocky cover by KENTA and it gets a two count. KENTA toys with Kobashi and slaps him, but Kobashi catches him as he goes off the ropes and hits a half nelson suplex. Kobashi tags in Honda as KENTA tags in Yone, and the two men trade blows. Headbutt by Honda but Yone comes back with kicks and knocks down Honda with a spinning heel kick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Yone tags in Morishima, who throws Honda into the corner. Irish whip by Morishima and he hits a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Knees by Morishima and he throws Honda into the corner before tagging in Yone. Yone kicks Honda in the corner and chokes him until the referee forces a break. Front facelock by Yone, Kanemaru comes in and they hit a double vertical suplex. Honda tags in Kanemaru, Irish whip by Kanemaru on Yone and he delivers a dropkick. Cover by Kanemaru but it gets a two count. Yone kicks Kanemaru when he tries to pick him up, Yone goes off the ropes and hits a running kick to the ribs. Yone picks up Kanemaru and makes the tag to Morishima. Kanemaru fights back against Morishima, he goes off the ropes, but Morishima catches him with a knee to the midsection. Kanemaru rolls out of the ring but after a moment returns. Morishima picks him up when he rolls back in and applies a bear hug before slamming Kanemaru to the mat. Morishima tags in Yone, scoop slam by Yone and he delivers a leg drop. Cover, but Kanemaru kicks out. Headscissors by Yone, but Kanemaru eventually makes it to the ropes.

Yone tags in KENTA, KENTA picks up Kanemaru, snapmare, and he kicks Kanemaru in the back repeatedly before running over and kicking Kobashi off the apron. Cover by KENTA on Kanemaru but Kanemaru kicks out at two. KENTA tags in Yone, Yone clubs Kanemaru in the back and kicks him to the mat for a two count cover. Yone picks up Kanemaru but Kanemaru punches him back. Yone levels Kanemaru with a big boot though and tags in Morishima. Abdominal stretch by Morishima on Kanemaru but after a moment he releases the hold and tosses Kanemaru out of the ring. KENTA slides Kanemaru back in and Morishima tags him into the match. Irish whip by KENTA to the corner and he connects with a running kick. Forearm by KENTA, he throws Kanemaru into the corner again and hits another boot. KENTA puts Kanemaru onto the top turnbuckle and joins him, but Kanemaru reverses it with a top rope DDT and makes the tag to Kobashi. Kobashi picks up KENTA, puts him in the corner and hits a series of rapid-fire chops. KENTA falls to the mat but Kobashi chops him again and drags him to his feet. Double handed chop to the neck by Kobashi and he chops KENTA again. Kobashi pulls KENTA out to the apron, and with Honda’s help he drapes KENTA over the ropes and chops him in the throat. Kobashi tags in Honda, cover, but it gets a two count. Honda applies an STF into a choke hold, and Kobashi chops KENTA while he is still in the hold. Cover by Honda but KENTA kicks out. Honda picks up KENTA, Honda puts KENTA across the top rope and Kobashi chops him from the outside. Honda tags in Kanemaru, cover by Kanemaru but it gets a two count. Back up, scoop slam by Kanemaru and he applies the Camel Clutch. Irish whip by Kanemaru, but KENTA ducks the clothesline attempt and runs over to knock Kobashi off of the apron. KENTA quickly goes out after him, throws Kobashi into the railing and boots him to the other side. Yone comes over then and he drags Kobashi up the aisle into the stands. Morishima joins him and together they take Kobashi up into the crowd. Yone runs all the way to one side of the building while Morishima holds Kobashi, and Yone hits a running knee. Morishima then goes down the aisle and hits Kobashi with a hip attack. Honda tries to help, but Morishima takes him away. Kobashi manages to fight off KENTA and Yone, with Kobashi leveling KENTA with a spinning chop. Kobashi drags KENTA back to ringside and slides him back in, where Kanemaru is waiting.

Stomp by Kanemaru, cover, but it gets a two count. Kanemaru throws KENTA back out of the ring, and Honda chokes him on the apron with his feet dangling over the edge before dropping him down to the floor. Honda slides KENTA back into the ring and then comes in as well, and with Kobashi he hits a backdrop suplex/chop combination. Cover by Kobashi but it gets a two count. Back up, KENTA and Kobashi trade blows but Kobashi gets the better of it. Kobashi chops KENTA into the ropes, Irish whip, but KENTA ducks the chop and delivers a big boot followed by a dropkick to the knee and a kick to the face. KENTA tags in Morishima, Morishima picks up KENTA, Irish whip to the corner and he nails a lariat. Clubbin’ Blows by Morishima in the corner, and he knocks Kobashi silly as he slumps to the mat. Morishima helps him up and hits an exploder, cover, but it gets a two count. Morishima goes for the backdrop suplex but Honda saves Kobashi. Yone takes care of Honda while in the ring Kobashi hits a pair of back chops followed by a half nelson suplex! Kobashi tags in Kanemaru, Kanemaru comes in the ring with a missile dropkick but Morishima absorbs the blow and lariats him to the mat. Morishima tags in Yone and Yone boots Kanemaru to the mat. Jumping knee by Yone, he scoop slams Kanemaru in front of the corner and hits a second turnbuckle leg drop for a two count. Lariat by Yone on Kanemaru, another cover, but again it only gets two. Yone puts Kanemaru onto the top turnbuckle and goes for the Muscle Buster, but Kanemaru pushes him off and nails the Deep Impact. Kanemaru manages to tag in Honda (it should be noted that all during this KENTA and Kobashi are battling on the outside), Yone muscles out of an exploder attempt but Honda plants him with a backdrop suplex. Yone regains the advantage, he picks up Honda but Honda ducks a spinning heel kick and applies the Rolling Olympic Hell I. Morishima breaks it up, but Kanemaru comes in and distracts Morishima until Kobashi comes in the ring and throws Morishima out. Honda applies a choke, KENTA tries to kick him to break it up but Honda moves and KENTA accidentally kicks Yone. Kanemaru runs in to throw KENTA out of the ring while Honda plants Yone with the Dead End. Yone slowly gets to his feet and reaches for the ropes, but Honda comes up from behind and nails another Dead End. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda, and Kanemaru

Match Thoughts: Since KENTA vs. Kobashi was happening a few weeks after this card, that is why they were the focus of the match. Still though I think that Morishima stole the match, and this is when people really started noticing him as he showed a lot of fire. Kobashi vs. Morishima is going to be a lot of fun when it finally happens. Anyway, these six man tags are always hard for me to get into as most of it seems pretty random and I like some semblance of a story (preferably). They had a lot of fun spots though, and even though Kobashi was in full chop-mode it didn’t hurt the match since he was just trying to punish the cocky KENTA more then he was trying to pin him. As I mentioned, Morishima looked great but the lesser wrestlers really didn’t have a lot of time to show much…. although I must say that Kanemaru doing a top rope DDT to finally tag out was interesting as you don’t normally see big moves like that in the middle of a six man tag match. Overall it was entertaining and it did a good job setting up the Kobashi/KENTA match on March 5th. Score: 6.6

Giant Bernard vs. Yuji Nagata
This match took place on April 30th, 2006 in New Japan. Tie-up, Nagata goes for an armbreaker but Bernard quickly gets out of it. Tie-up again, Nagata goes for the arm but Bernard shoves him off. Kick to the arm by Nagata but he backs off before Bernard could retaliate. Nagata kicks Bernard into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, but Nagata avoids Bernard’s charge. Standing armbar by Nagata but Bernard gets out of it with a sidewalk suplex. Bernard clotheslines Nagata in the corner and then catapults him into the second rope. Nagata falls out of the ring but eventually slides back in under his own power. Bernard picks up Nagata, puts his neck over the top rope and then jumps out of the ring, sending his neck into the rope. Back in the ring, lariat by Bernard, he picks up Nagata and applies a neck crank. Bernard releases the hold and absorbs a few Nagata chops before thrusting Nagata in the neck. Bernard throws Nagata into the corner and connects with a series of shoulder tackles. Choke by Bernard in the corner but the referee gets him to break the hold. Bernard picks up Nagata and headbutts him back into the corner. Vertical suplex by Bernard, cover, but it only gets a two count. Bernard picks up Nagata and drops him throat-first onto the top turnbuckle. He then applies a full nelson, but Nagata backs Bernard into the corner to force a break. Running powerslam by Bernard, cover, but Nagata kicks out at two. Bernard applies a body scissors and he boxes Nagata’s ears while he keeps him in the hold. After a minute Nagata gets a foot on the ropes and Bernard breaks the hold.

Bernard slaps Nagata, but Nagata fires back with a slap of his own. Kicks to the midsection by Nagata but Bernard punches him down to the mat. Bernard picks up Nagata but Nagata slides down his back and nails him with a heel kick. Kicks to the leg by Nagata, Irish whip, reversed, but Nagata rolls out of the way and dropkicks Bernard in the knee. Repeated kicks to the chest by Nagata but Bernard absorbs the blows. He gets up to attack Nagata, but Nagata catches him with an exploder for a two count pinfall. Running boot to the face by Nagata, Bernard charges out of the corner but Nagata pushes him back and hits a jumping knee. Cover by Nagata but it only gets a two count. Nagata picks up Bernard and goes for another exploder, Bernard elbows out of it but Nagata hits a heel kick followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover, but again it gets two. Cross armbreaker by Nagata but Bernard quickly gets a hand on the bottom rope. Back up, Nagata hits an armbreaker and then leg drops Bernard’s arm to the mat. Seated armbar by Nagata but Bernard wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Nagata waits for Bernard to get to his knees and kicks him repeatedly in the arm before hitting an armbreaker. Nagata goes off the ropes but Bernard catches him with a boot to the face. Bernard positions Nagata for the reverse splash, goes up to the second rope, but as he jumps off Nagata moves out of the way. Bernard sees him move however and lands on his feet before clotheslining Nagata in the corner. This time Bernard nails the reverse splash, cover, but it only gets a two count.

Both wrestlers slowly get up, Bernard charges Nagata, Nagata kicks him back but when Nagata goes for a follow-up Bernard catches him with a Baldo Bomb. Cover, but Nagata barely gets a shoulder up. Bernard picks up Nagata and puts him on his shoulders before nailing a TKO. Cover, but again Nagata kicks out. Bernard waits for Nagata to get up and at around the 7 count he does so. Nagata goes for the arm but Bernard knees him in the midsection. Bernard tries a Liger Bomb, but his arm gives way and he can’t get Nagata all the way up. Dropkick to the knee by Nagata and he delivers a Shining Wizard. Another Shining Wizard by Nagata and he nails a third one. Cover, but Bernard barely gets a shoulder off the mat in time. Nagata picks up Bernard and hits the wrist-clutch exploder, cover, but it only gets a two count. Bernard and Nagata trade blows while they are on their knees and they continue once they get all the way up, Nagata ducks a lariat by Bernard but Bernard follows with a lariat to the back. Bernard picks up Nagata and goes for the Liger Bomb again, but he still has trouble getting Nagata all the way up. A second attempt fails as well, as he clutches his injured arm. Forearms by Nagata but Bernard punches him back and finally delivers the Liger Bomb. Cover, but Nagata kicks out at two. Bernard picks up Nagata, places him on his shoulder and debuts the Bernard Driver! Cover, and Bernard picks up the three count victory. Your winner (and winner of the 2006 New Japan Cup): Giant Bernard

Match Thoughts: In terms of crowd heat (real crowd heat, not ROH crowd heat) and telling a smart story in the ring you can’t get much better then this match. It is hard to think of Giant Bernard (A-Train in the WWF/E) being in a great match, but you have to realize a few things. First, by the time this match took place he had been in Japan for over a year and he had gotten better. Second, crowds in Japan take him seriously so his matches aren’t met with apathetic silence (quiet crowds can ruin just about any match). And third, in Japan he can do more moves then he could in America so his moveset doesn’t look quite so limited. While the match started pretty slow, it really picked up in the middle and they kept things moving until the hot ending. The crowd really wanted Nagata to win, and on a number of occasions it honestly looked like he would. Bernard did a great job selling the arm every step of the way, such as failing to hit the Liger Bomb. After Nagata kicked out of the Baldo Bomb and the Liger Bomb the crowd lit up, but when Bernard hit the Bernard Driver you knew it was over, as did the fans that had been cheering so loudly. Nagata worked on the arm very well, my only gripe is that he never went for the cross armbreaker at the end of the match which would have been his one chance to win. This could very well be the best heavyweight match in New Japan for 2006, but it certainly is in the top five. If you haven’t seen any 2006 Giant Bernard then you owe it to yourself to see this match and see how much he has grown over the last few years. Score: 7.9

Ryo Saito, Dragon Kid, and Genki Horiguchi vs. CIMA, Don Fujii, and Naruki Doi
This match took place on July 3rd, 2005 in Dragon Gate. CIMA and company jump their opponents as the bell rings and throw them out of the ring as they brawl at ringside. We get a *clip,* as now Horiguchi and Fujii are battling in the ring. Headscissors by Horiguchi and as CIMA comes in, Horiguchi rolls out of the ring and Saito takes his place. They trade chops to the chest, and then punches to the chest. Saito goes off the ropes, but CIMA leapfrogs him and dropkicks him in the face. Irish whip by CIMA, reversed, CIMA goes for a hurricanrana but Saito powerbombs him to the mat. Running shoulderblock by Saito, and we get another *clip* as Fujii is jumping down onto Horiguchi who is draped onto the top rope. Kishiwada comes in to help as Horiguchi is assaulted by the entire team. Cover by Doi but Horiguchi kicks out at two. We get a *clip* again as CIMA applies an abdominal stretch to Horiguchi. Horiguchi hiptosses out of it, Fujii runs in but Horiguchi catches him with an elbow and tags in Saito. CIMA comes in as the legal man but Saito catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Doi and Dragon Kid come in the ring and Dragon Kid hits a multiple rotation headscissors. Catapult hurricanrana by Dragon Kid on CIMA, Horiguchi goes off the ropes and sails out onto him with a somersault tope suicida as Dragon Kid hits the Bermuda Triangle onto Doi. In the ring, Fujii and Saito trade blows, Irish whip by Saito and he hits a jumping forearm. Hurricanrana by Saito, but Fujii rolls through it and gets a two count cover. Powerslam by Fujii, but again it gets a two count.

Fujii’s teammates come into the ring and all three men hit strikes in the corner. Assisted bulldog by CIMA onto Dragon Kid (who came in to help), and then Fujii swings Horiguchi into Dragon Kid to knock him out of the ring. With Fujii and Doi holding Horiguchi in the air, CIMA comes off the top turnbuckle with a double stomp onto Horiguchi. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Irish whip by CIMA from the corner, but Horiguchi kicks him back. Horiguchi goes for a tornado DDT but CIMA blocks it and puts him back onto the top turnbuckle. Horiguchi hits the move anyway, CIMA springs back to his feet but Dragon Kid sends him back to the mat with a top rope hurricanrana. Now it is CIMA that is triple teamed in the corner and they hit CIMA with an assisted bulldog for a two count. Saito picks up CIMA and slams him to the mat, and then Dragon Kid hits a double springboard moonsault for a two count cover. Dragon Kid goes for a Mysteriorana but CIMA catches him and Saito dropkicks Dragon Kid in the head. Saito picks up Dragon Kid, Irish whip from the corner but Dragon Kid goes out to the apron. Saito kicks Dragon Kid as he springboards into the ring but Dragon Kid hits the Dragon Stunner before applying the Christo.

Doi slams Dragon Kid to get out of it however, he puts Dragon Kid on his shoulders as CIMA goes to the top turnbuckle but Dragon Kid rolls up Doi for a two count. Fujii runs in and tries to lariat Dragon Kid but Dragon Kid ducks and Fujii accidentally hit Doi. Top rope hurricanrana by Dragon Kid onto Doi, but Doi barely kicks out. Doi goes to the top turnbuckle but Doi moves out of the way of the dragonrana and Fujii levels him with a clothesline. Horiguchi sends Doi out of the ring but Doi catches him with a spinebuster. Saito runs in the ring and hits a brainbuster onto Doi, he goes for the Fisherman Express onto CIMA but CIMA blocks it and hits the cross-legged Schwein. Cover, but Saito gets a shoulder up. CIMA goes up to the top turnbuckle but Saito gets his knees up when CIMA goes for the Mad Splash and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. We get one final *clip*, as we see that Saito is sitting on the top turnbuckle with Doi on his shoulders. Dragon Kid gets up onto the top turnbuckle and hurricanranas Doi to the mat, diving body press by Saito but CIMA breaks it up. Oh, I lied, another *clip* as we see CIMA hitting a superkick onto Horiguchi. With Horiguchi tied up in the corner, CIMA goes to the adjacent corner and hits a full ring dropkick. Schwein by CIMA, cover, but it only gets a two count. CIMA puts Horiguchi onto the top turnbuckle and nails the Iconoclasm. Mad Splash by CIMA, and he picks up the three count! Your winners: CIMA, Don Fujii, and Naruki Doi

Match Thoughts: This match was too clipped for me to rate (less then half was shown), but it gives you a good feel of what Dragon Gate is if you haven’t ever seen the promotion before. The action is very fast-paced and while the selling is subject at times most of their matches are pretty entertaining. Here I was glad to see Dragon Kid hitting a few of his big moves as I have always liked him and in general there didn’t seem to be any miscommunications (or they were just clipped out). I don’t like clipped matches but since this is a Sampler DVD it wasn’t necessarily a bad move here as this match definitely gives the viewer a solid look at what big match Dragon Gate looks like. Score: N/A

(c) Takashi Sasaki vs. Naoki Numazawa
This match took place on June 26th, 2006 in Big Japan and is for the Big Japan Death Match Championship. It is a Fluorescent Light Tubes and Cage + Alpha Death Match. Not sure about the Alpha part, but there is a 10 foot cage inside the ring with light tubes inside of it and light tubes all around the ring. Tie-up, Sasaki tries to push Numazawa into the light tube cross in the corner but they break cleanly. Tie-up, kick to the stomach by Numazawa and he applies a wristlock, but Numazawa flips out of it. Numazawa grabs a light tube however and hits Sasaki in the head with it, side headlock takedown by Numazawa but Sasaki follows with one of his own. Both men hit each other with light tubes in the head back and forth, then Sasaki Irish whips Numazawa into the ropes and delivers a heel kick. Sasaki and Numazawa jockey for position, Numazawa runs Sasaki into the ropes and goes for a dragon suplex but Sasaki reverses it with a roll-up for a two count. Sasaki rolls out of the ring to nurse his bleeding head, he gets back on the apron but Numazawa dropkicks him back down to the floor. Numazawa runs off the far ropes to dive out of the ring, but he forgets that light tubes are hung on the ropes and only ends up hurting himself. Sasaki gets back in the ring and kicks Numazawa in the head repeatedly. Snapmare by Sasaki and he kicks a pair of light tubes into Numazawa’s back. Light tube assisted kick to the chest by Sasaki, cover, but it gets a two count. Sasaki puts Numazawa in the tree of woe in the corner, grabs a pair of light tubes and kicks them into Numazawa’s chest. Cover by Sasaki but again it gets a two count. Kicks to the chest by Sasaki, but Numazawa returns fire with chops to the chest. Back kick by Sasaki and he opens up the cage door. Sasaki tries to ram Numazawa into the light tube cross in the opposite corner, but Numazawa slams on the breaks and kicks Sasaki back. Numazawa dropkicks Sasaki into the cage, but the door has closed so Sasaki bounces off of it and falls to the mat. Numazawa grabs a light tube and hits Sasaki repeatedly in the head with it, he then gets a series of pairs of light tubes and smacks Sasaki in the head some more.

Numazawa picks up Sasaki, takes a broken piece of light tube and jams it into Sasaki’s head. Numazawa grabs a light tube bundle and hits a backdrop suplex into them on Sasaki. Cover, but it gets a two count. After stabbing Sasaki with another broken light tube, Numazawa picks up Sasaki, puts him up onto the top turnbuckle and hits a Frankensteiner. Numazawa charges Sasaki, but Sasaki ducks the lariat, picks up Numazawa and rams him back-first into the light tube cage. Tombstone by Sasaki, Irish whip from the corner and he delivers a jumping heel kick. Sasaki goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a tornado DDT followed by a running kick to the head. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Sasaki sets up light tubes in the corner across the ropes and tries to powerbomb Numazawa into them, but Numazawa back bodydrops out of it. Numazawa charges Sasaki, Sasaki moves, but Numazawa slams on the breaks before he runs into the corner. Sasaki charges Numazawa now but Numazawa drop toeholds Sasaki into the tubes. The tubes don’t break, so Numazawa hits Sasaki over the head with them and hits a release German suplex. Capture suplex by Numazawa, cover, but Sasaki kicks out at two. Numazawa picks up Sasaki and hits a fireman’s carry slam before going over and untying the really big light tube bundle. He places the bundle on top of Sasaki and then grabs a second one before going on top of the cage with it. Sasaki gets up however before Numazawa can jump off and shakes the cage before hitting Numazawa in the head with the bundle. Sasaki climbs up onto the cage as well and goes for a powerbomb down to the mat, but Numazawa blocks it. Numazawa smacks Sasaki in the head with the light tube bundle and thumb tacks spill out of it. Numazawa dumps the rest of the thumb tacks down to the mat, he picks up Sasaki and nails his fireman’s carry slam down to the mat into the thumb tacks!

Numazawa picks up Sasaki and hits a modified Michinoku Driver, but it gets a two count. Numazawa grabs the light tube cross and puts it onto Sasaki, he starts climbing up the cage but Sasaki gets up and powerbombs him off the side of the cage into the light tube cross. Sasaki goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Sasaki puts two light tube bundles on the mat and slams Numazawa into them, another cover, but again Numazawa kicks out. Sasaki goes for a lariat, but Numazawa blocks it and delivers a Schwein for a two count. Back up, they trade forearm shots, but Sasaki sends Numazawa to the mat with a trio of kicks. Sasaki grabs some light tubes, puts them by Numazawa’s head before going for a kick, but Numazawa moves and hits Sasaki in the head with the bundle. They jockey for position, Numazawa rolls up Sasaki but it only gets a two count. They trade lariat attempts, Numazawa goes for another roll-up but Sasaki avoids it and hits a kick followed by a release dragon suplex. Sasaki charges Numazawa, Numazawa whips off a hurricanrana but Sasaki replies by kicking Numazawa hard in the head. Sasaki puts a light tube by Numazawa’s head and delivers another right kick, cover, but Numazawa barely kicks out. Sasaki then gets a light tube bundle, puts it over Numazawa’s head and nails one more right kick. Cover, and this time he picks up the three count. Your winner and still champion: Takashi Sasaki

Match Thoughts: As a general rule, light tube deathmatches are not my favorite because they are so over-done by Big Japan… just about every big card has a light tube deathmatch. Here though they at least added a few new toys, the most noteworthy being the cage. The light tubes in the cage were used well as the move was used as a transition and Sasaki controlled the match afterwards as Numazawa’s back bled all over the place. The move from the top of the cage was sick but it was not the match-changer it probably should have been as Sasaki took back over less then a minute later. Besides those big moments though there wasn’t too much here that kept my attention as most of the spots they did I have seen many many times. Overall it was entertaining (the thumbtack light tube is a neat idea) but light tube deathmatches in general can get old after awhile as there are only so many things that you can do with light tubes. Score: 6.5

All the matches above are in DVD quality. The rest of the matches fluctuate in quality since they were ripped from VHS. The only match that really suffers is the AJW match, the rest still look like normal VHS quality.

Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, and Akiyama vs. Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue, and Fuchi
This match is from All Japan in 1993. JIP as Kawada is applying a crab hold to Akiyama, but Akiyama gets a hand on the bottom rope. Kawada pulls him out and re-applies the hold however, and this time Kobashi breaks it up. Kawada picks up Akiyama and hits vertical suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Kawada and he kicks Akiyama in the back. Kawada applies the Stretch Plum but Kobashi quickly breaks it up. Akiyama manages to tag in Misawa, but Kawada kicks him as he comes in the ring. Misawa absorbs the blows however and forearms Kawada to the mat before forearming Fuchi and Taue as well. Misawa picks up Kawada, Irish whip, Kawada goes for a kick but Misawa catches his leg and throws him to the mat. Fuchi kicks Misawa from behind however, allowing Kawada time to recover. Kawada slams Misawa’s leg into the mat before making the tag to Taue. Taue stomps on Misawa and applies a leg lock, but Misawa gets a hand on the bottom rope. Taue tags in Fuchi, Fuchi picks up Misawa and puts him in the tree of woe in the corner. Dropkick to the knee by Fuchi and Taue follows with one of his own. Misawa finally falls out of the corner and Fuchi twists on his leg. STF by Fuchi and he tags in Kawada. Kawada grabs Misawa by the leg and applies a single leg crab hold before tagging in Taue. Taue hits a knee crusher, Misawa goes for an enzigieri but Taue blocks it. Taue picks up Misawa but Misawa catches him with a forearm and tags in Kobashi.

Taue kicks Kobashi back, Irish whip, but Kobashi catches Taue’s boot attempt and hits a lariat. Jumping shoulderblock by Kobashi and he tags in Akiyama. Jumping knee by Akiyama in the corner and Kobashi follows with a strike of his own. Double dropkick to Taue, cover by Akiyama but it gets a two count. Akiyama picks up Taue and hits a snap suplex, cover, but again it gets a two. Akiyama tags in Kobashi, Kobashi hits a delayed vertical suplex but again it only gets a two count. Kobashi picks up Taue and tags in Misawa, and Misawa comes into the ring with a slingshot body press. Irish whip by Misawa and he hits a body press, cover, but it gets a two. Misawa tags in Akiyama, elbows by Akiyama, cover, but Taue kicks out. Akiyama tags Misawa back in and Misawa hits a spinning heel kick followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover by Misawa but it gets a two count. Misawa tags in Akiyama, who hits a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle. The move sends Taue into his corner however and Taue tags in Fuchi. Irish whip by Akiyama and he hits a jumping knee, he goes off the ropes and hits a forearm followed by a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Waistlock by Akiyama but Fuchi elbows out of it. Hiptoss by Akiyama, cover, but it barely gets two. Akiyama tags in Misawa, Irish whip by Misawa and he hits the rotating elbow strike. Misawa goes for the Tiger Driver but Akiyama breaks it up and Fuchi hits a backdrop suplex onto Misawa. Fuchi tags in Kawada and Kawada hits a lariat onto Misawa. Kawada picks up Misawa and throws him to Taue, who hits a chokeslam. Kawada goes for the powerbomb but Kobashi breaks it up. Taue runs in to take care of Kobashi and all three of them hit their respective finishers. Cover by Kawada onto Misawa, but Misawa kicks out. Kawada kicks Misawa in the back and applies the Stretch Plum, but Misawa hiptosses out of it. Misawa elbows Kawada hard in the face and hits the Tiger Driver, cover, but Kawada barely kicks out. Misawa applies a sleeper but Fuchi breaks it up.

Misawa tags in Kobashi, Kobashi picks up Kawada and hits a DDT. Kobashi drags Kawada up and hits another DDT, scoop slam by Kobashi and he goes to top turnbuckle, nailing a moonsault. Cover, but Kawada gets a shoulder up. Chops by Kobashi and he goes for a piledriver, but Kawada back bodydrops out of it. Kobashi goes off the ropes but Kawada catches him with a kick to the face and makes the tag to Fuchi. Kick to the head by Kawada onto Kobashi, but Kobashi doesn’t go down. A second one doesn’t work either, nor does a third. Headbutt by Fuchi, Irish whip, reversed, and Kobashi delivers a powerslam for a two count cover. Oklahoma Stampede by Kobashi, cover, but Fuchi barely gets a shoulder up. Texas Cloverleaf by Kobashi but Taue breaks it up. Fuchi tags in Taue, but Kobashi throws him into the corner and chops him repeatedly. Taue throws Kobashi to the mat but Kobashi quickly gets back up. Taue drops Kobashi throat-first onto the top rope, he picks him back up and drops him onto the top turnbuckle. He goes for it again, but Kobashi slides off his back and lariats Taue in the back of the head. Kobashi tags in Akiyama, and Akiyama hits the Northern Lights Suplex for a two count pinfall. Akiyama goes off the ropes but Taue catches him with a chokeslam. Taue tags in Fuchi, who hits a backdrop suplex onto Akiyama. Another backdrop suplex by Fuchi, cover, but Akiyama kicks out. Fuchi tags in Kawada, he goes for a lariat, but Akiyama ducks and rolls him up for a two count. Kawada comes back with a kick to the face and he tags in Taue. Nodowa Otoshi by Taue on Akiyama and he gives Kobashi one as well. Taue picks up Akiyama and hits one more, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue, and Fuchi

Match Thoughts: Your standard very good All Japan bout from their glory years. Anytime you have four of the best wrestlers of the 90s in one match it is safe to assume that the match will be good, with my only real complaint is that the match was joined in progress. The hot tag from Akiyama to Misawa didn’t seem quite as special without seeing the build up. They were all hitting their big moves so I am inclined to think that this match meant something as the crowd was really into it as well. Even Fuchi looked great here, I haven’t seen much from him during his earlier years and while he is not on the same level as the rest of the wrestlers he is able to hold his own. A really entertaining match that was only held back by the fact that it wasn’t complete. Score: 7.2

Mayumi Ozaki and Dynamite Kansai vs. Toshiyo Yamada and Manami Toyota
This match is from All Japan Women on November 26th, 1992 and only the final fall is shown. JIP as Yamada is kicking Kansai. Leg sweep by Kansai and she rolls up Yamada, but it gets a two count. A keylock is applied by Kansai and she tags in Ozaki. Ozaki applies the Fujiwara armbar, but Yamada quickly gets a foot on the ropes. Back up, arm wringer by Ozaki and she applies a seated armbar. Stomps to the arm by Ozaki, Irish whip, but Yamada kicks her in the face and tags in Toyota. Irish whip by Toyota and she nails a dropkick. Toyota then goes to the second rope and hits a dropkick to the back of the head. Another missile dropkick by Toyota, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a third one for a two count cover. Suplex by Toyota but Kansai breaks it up. Muta Lock by Toyota and she then applies a Mexican Surfboard. Toyota picks up Ozaki and applies a DDT leg lock, but after a moment she releases the hold. Toyota tags in Yamada, who applies the Stretch Muffler. Kansai breaks it up however and kicks Yamada repeatedly before the referee gets her back. Yamada kicks Ozaki before she can tag out, but Ozaki rolls her up for a quick two count. Backdrop suplex by Ozaki and she tags in Kansai. Irish whip by Kansai to the corner and she delivers a clothesline. Another clothesline by Kansai and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Scorpion Deathlock by Kansai, Toyota tries to break it up but is unsuccessful. Yamada slowly wiggles to the ropes and finally reaches them, forcing the break. Kansai slides Yamada out of the ring where Ozaki throws her into the railing.

Snap suplex by Kansai on the outside as Toyota slams Ozaki to the floor as well. Kansai throws Yamada back in the ring and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Kansai tags in Ozaki who comes off the top turnbuckle with a senton atomico for a two count. Ozaki picks up Yamada and hits a powerbomb, cover, but Toyota breaks it up. Ozaki applies a leg lock to Yamada but releases the hold so she can throw Yamada out of the ring. On the outside Kansai hits Yamada repeatedly with a steel chair before sliding Yamada back into the ring. Ozaki applies a half Camel Clutch before picking her up and tagging in Kansai. Kansai comes off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick but the force of the move sends Yamada back into her corner and she makes the tag to Toyota. Irish whip by Kansai and she hits a lariat for a two count cover. Backdrop suplex by Kansai and she delivers another one. One final bone-crunching backdrop suplex by Kansai, cover, but Yamada breaks it up. Kansai applies the Scorpion Deathlock but Toyota gets a hand on the bottom rope. Kicks to the back by Kansai and she tags in Ozaki. Ozaki comes off the top turnbuckle with a moonsault, cover, but it only gets a two count. Irish whip by Ozaki but Toyota hits a dropkick. Tope by Toyota from the top turnbuckle, she goes up top again and hits a second one. Top rope moonsault to a standing Ozaki by Toyota and she makes the tag to Yamada. Snap suplex by Yamada and she delivers a leg drop. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Yamada throws Ozaki into her corner so she can tag in Kansai, and the two of them trade low kicks. Irish whip by Yamada, reversed, and they trade kicks once again. Mid-kicks by Kansai as she knocks Yamada to the mat, Kansai picks up Yamada and kicks her hard in the face. The referee starts a count but Kansai starts kicking her again anyway. Back up, Irish whip by Kansai but Yamada avoids the heel kick and kicks Kansai repeatedly in the head as she is on the mat. Yamada picks up Kansai and nails a high kick, she drags her to her feet again, Irish whip, reversed, and Yamada lays into Kansai with more kicks. Cover, but it gets a two count.

Yamada tags in Toyota, German suplex by Toyota but Kansai kicks out. Another German suplex hold by Toyota but again it gets a two count. Toyota hits a third, but again Kansai gets a shoulder up. Irish whip by Toyota, reversed, and Kansai hits a sidewalk slam before tagging in Ozaki. Tiger suplex by Ozaki, but it only gets a two count. Ozaki hits a sit-down powerbomb, cover, but again it gets a two. Irish whip by Ozaki and she dropkicks Toyota in the face. They both avoid each other’s dropkicks and Ozaki tags in Kansai. Kansai applies a leg lock to Toyota but Toyota makes it to the ropes. Figure four leg lock by Kansai, but Toyota makes it to the ropes. Kicks to the leg by Kansai and Ozaki pulls Toyota out of the ring to throw her into the railing. Yamada comes over to help however and takes Ozaki into the crowd, throwing her to the floor. Back towards the ring Yamada kicks Kansai on the outside, but Ozaki comes back and throws Yamada into the railing. Ozaki gets back into the ring as does Toyota, Irish whip by Ozaki and Kansai kicks Toyota in the head. Rolling DDT into a front facelock by Ozaki, but Toyota gets out of it and slaps Ozaki in the face. Toyota tags in Yamada, Irish whip by Yamada and she kicks Ozaki in the face. This allows Ozaki to tag in Kansai however, Irish whip by Yamada to Kansai and she hits a sidewalk slam. Yamada goes off the ropes and hits a pair of jumping kicks, but Kansai doesn’t go all the way down. A third kick by Yamada, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Yamada but Kansai ducks the spinning heel kick. Kansai goes for a backdrop suplex by Yamada lands on top of her for a two count cover. Yamada tags in Toyota who comes off the top turnbuckle, but Kansai catches her and hits a suplex for a two count. Kansai goes for a backdrop suplex but Toyota lands on her feet and gives Kansai the Oklahoma Roll for a two count.

Toyota tags in Yamada, Irish whip to Kansai, but Kansai ducks the double clothesline attempt and hits a release German suplex on Yamada while Ozaki hits a release German suplex on Toyota. Cover by Kansai but it gets a two count. Kansai tags in Ozaki, Ozaki picks up Yamada and hits a backdrop suplex hold for a two count. Waistlock by Ozaki, Yamada rolls her up, but she ends up in the ropes so no count is administered. Ozaki quickly goes up to the top turnbuckle but Toyota grabs her from the outside, allowing Yamada time to recover. Yamada goes up top as well and hits a belly to belly suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Toyota comes in and throws Kansai out of the ring, Yamada and Toyota both go to the top turnbuckle and hit diving headbutts on to Ozaki for a two count pinfall. Toyota picks up Ozaki, but Ozaki hits a release German suplex. Ozaki then goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Yamada, who Kansai had knocked out of the ring. Kansai comes in the ring and goes for a tope suicida on Yamada, but Yamada moves and Ozaki is accidentally hit. Toyota then goes to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto the group on the floor. Yamada and Toyota bring Ozaki back into the ring and hit a double flipping facebuster. Moonsault by Toyota from the top turnbuckle, cover, but Ozaki gets a shoulder up. Toyota picks up Ozaki, Irish whip, and she hits a lariat. Cover, but again it gets a two count. Toyota picks up Ozaki again, Irish whip, but Ozaki kicks Yamada as she gets near the ropes as Kansai runs in and kicks Toyota in the midsection. Kansai scoop slams Toyota as Ozaki goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Toyota avoids the reverse splash. Yamada tackles Kansai as Toyota hits a German suplex onto Ozaki and she picks up the three count! Your winners: Toshiyo Yamada and Manami Toyota

Match Thoughts: This was the main event of Dream Rush, one of the biggest shows in Joshi history. Unfortunately over fifteen minutes were missing here (out of 40 minutes) since it didn’t start until the third fall, but it was still a great match. Joshi from the early to late 90s was very popular in Japan and this match shows why… all four of these women work very well together and were doing moves that weren’t seen in the States for many many years to come. This is nothing at all like what is shown on TV today as women wrestling… Joshi wrestlers are hard hitting and keep a very fast pace. The long term selling is often subject and some of the transitions are questionable, but overall it is very entertaining and really fun to watch. If you haven’t watched Joshi before this is as good of a place to start as any. Score: 7.7

Ebessan vs. (c) Kushinbo Kamen
This match is from Osaka Pro on February 1st, 2003 and is for the World’s Best Osaka Attraction Championship. It is best two out of three falls.

First Round: After their usual theatrics, the match finally starts. Scoop slam attempt by Ebessen, but Kamen falls on top of him and picks up the quick three count pinfall! Winner of First Round: Kamen

Second Round: Tie-up, scoop slam attempt by Ebessen, Kamen lands on top of him again but this time it only picks up a two count. Back up, tie-up, waistlock by Ebessen, reversed by Kamen, wristlock by Ebessen, but Kamen flips out of it and reverses the hold. Ebessen tries to roll out of it but Kamen keeps it applied. Finally Ebessen reverses it but the two start dancing before posing for the crowd. Ebessen quickly rolls up Kamen though and picks up a sneaky three count! Winner of Second Round: Ebessen

Third Round: The crowd cheers for both wrestlers, and then the referee, which leads to Ebessen kicking the referee. Ebessen and Kamen fake a few tie-ups and do a roll in unison before posing to the crowd. The referee does the same, and the wrestlers raise the referee’s hands. Kamen and Ebessen go to leave, but the referee stops them and pulls them back in. Kamen and Ebessen start wrestling in slow motion, trading slaps. Still in slow motion, Irish whip by Ebessen and the two collide with neither man budging. Kick by Ebessen and he hits a slow motion Shining Wizard before doing the Mutoh pose. Kamen gets back up, tie-up, side headlock by Ebessen, Kamen Irish whips out of it but Ebessen shoulderblocks him down. Ebessen goes off the ropes, pancake by Kamen but Ebessen kicks him in the head. Back up, snapmare by Ebessen, Kamen goes off the ropes, pancake by Ebessen but Kamen hits an elbow drop. Ebessen gets up and goes to the corner, Irish whip by Kamen, reversed, and the two join arms and walk across the ring. Irish whip again by Kamen but he doesn’t charge Ebessen and instead relaxes in the corner. Armdrag by Kamen, Kamen goes off the ropes but Ebessen catches him with a dropkick, sending Kamen out of the ring. Ebessen goes off the far ropes but he reaches between the ropes and bops Kamen on the head instead of jumping out. Kamen gets onto the apron but Ebessen grabs him and suplexes him back into the ring. Cover, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Ebessen, cover, but it gets another two as Ebessen yells at the referee.

Kamen recovers and rolls up Ebessen from behind, but it gets a two count as the referee counts much faster. Another fast count cover by Kamen, they get back to their feet and trade slaps to the chest. Ebessen goes off the ropes but Kamen catches him with a back elbow. Ebessen falls out of the ring and Kamen gets out to the apron to deliver an Asai Moonsault. Kamen gets back into the ring first and plays to the crowd as Ebessen rolls in after him. Irish whip by Kamen from the corner, reversed, but Kamen kicks Ebessen as he charges in and hits a hurricanrana. Kamen puts Ebessen onto the top turnbuckle, joins him, and hits a Frankensteiner for a two count pinfall. Kamen goes for a lariat but Ebessen ducks it and hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Irish whip by Ebessen from the corner and he hits a running lariat. Ebessen goes for the bulldog but Kamen pushes him off. Forearms by Kamen but Ebessen pokes him in the eyes. Back kick by Ebessen and he hits a modified Michinoku Driver for a two count. Scoop slam by Ebessen, he goes to the top turnbuckle but Kamen rolls out of the way of the moonsault. Dropkick to the face by Kamen, scoop slam in front of the corner and he nails the Kankuu Tornado from the top turnbuckle. Cover, but Ebessen barely kicks out. Kamen charges Ebessen but Ebessen kicks him back. Roll-up by both wrestlers, but they both only gets a two count. Lariat by Ebessen, cover, but again he gets a two. Back up, Kamen goes off the ropes but Ebessen catches him when he goes for a back elbow and slams him to the mat. Scoop slam by Ebessen in front of the corner, he goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the Kaiun Tornado. Cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winner and new champion: Ebessen

Match Thoughts: I didn’t type up all the comedy spots since some are hard to describe, but this was a pretty light-hearted match that the crowd really enjoyed. This was on a huge show for Osaka Pro (Liger was on the card also), and this match fit in perfectly in the middle to give the show some variety. If you have never seen Ebessen and Kamen wrestle, its hard to describe. The match is 75% comedy, but the last few minutes is purely wrestling and you can tell that these two legitimately know how to wrestle beyond just comedy spots. I like them a lot, but its certainly not for everyone. If you haven’t seen them before this is a good opportunity… it works because they are not trying to be taken seriously so the crowd can just laugh and relax. Fun stuff, it would be hard to have an event full of matches like this but it works in small doses. Score: 7.0

Feel free to email me at purocentral@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or snide remarks.

The Inside Pulse
If the point of the Sampler was to show a variety of matches (which I think it was), then I think that Chris accomplished that goal. These matches really aren’t the “best of” different promotions (two of them might have been but were clipped), but the DVD wasn’t created with a Match of the Year theme. Rather, the Sampler shows seven distinctly different puroresu matches to give you an opportunity to see if any peak your interest if you are new to the puroresu scene or if you already love puroresu and just want a DVD with different types of matches. And for only a quarter (plus a few dollars shipping and handing), how can you lose? Since Chris is planning on making another Sampler within the next few weeks, you might not have much time to get this one before it is retired. So don’t delay, hop over to IVPVideos and purchase a very solid and very cheap Puroresu DVD Sampler.