Event: Japan Indy Summit
Date: December 9th, 2005
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 1,933
As far as Indy promotions go, they rarely have an event that they can call a “Super Show” without looking silly. This was about as close as they will get, as many of the major Independent wrestling promotions in Japan got together and put on a very entertaining card. Wrestlers from K-Dojo, DDT, Osaka Pro, IWA, Big Japan, and Michinoku Pro all had matches on the card, often mixed in tag matches with wrestlers from other promotions. This was one of those “sit back and enjoy shows,” as there was little in the way of storylines coming in. If nothing else I am sure it will be fun. Here is the full card:
– Katsumasa Inoue, Obata, and Nakazawa vs. Sugiyama, Kotouge, and Hidehiro Nishiyama
– Franchesco Togo, Honda, and Handsome Joe vs. Matsuda, Chocoball Mukai, and Dino
– Hido, Mammoth Sasaki, and Takashi Sasaki vs. Ryuji Ito, Numasawa, and Abdullah Kobayashi
– Billy Ken Kid vs. Super Dolphin
– Daisuke Sekimoto, Kakimoto, and Hino vs. Super Delfin, Jinsei Shinzaki, and TAKA Michinoku
– Masho Oishi, Asahi, Kagetora, and Kishi vs. Psycho, Shanaoh, Tigers Mask, and Iifushi
Don’t recognize these guys? Don’t feel bad, most only wrestle in smaller shows that don’t get a lot of press in the States. You should recognize Super Delfin, Shinzaki (Hakushi), or TAKA though as they have all been in bigger promotions at some point over the years. I am pretty excited about this show, it was considered a big success as I am sure you can imagine 2,000 people is damn good in Japan outside the big four (and even All Japan wouldn’t complain to have a crowd of this size more often).
Katsumasa Inoue, Obata, and Nakazawa vs. Toshiki Sugiyama, Kotouge, and Hidehiro Nishiyama
The match is JIP, Irish whip by Kotouge on Obata and he hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Cover by Kotouge, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Kotouge from the corner and he hits a spinning elbow as he falls out of the ring. He quickly gets back up on the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick on Obata. Cover, but again it gets a two count. Obata begins to fight back with elbows and hits a jumping back kick to the back of the head followed by an elbow drop. Obata tags in Nakazawa, Irish whip by Nakazawa on Kotouge and he delivers a spinebuster. Cover, but Kotouge kicks out. Nakazawa slams Kotouge into the corner and hits a series of shoulder tackles. Irish whip, but Kotouge leaps over Nakazawa and Nakazawa goes shoulder-first into the ring post. Kotouge tags in Sugiyama, who kicks Nakazawa repeatedly in the chest and head. Cover by Sugiyama, but it is broken up. Sugiyama throws Obata out of the ring for interfering and then tags in his partner Nishiyama. Clubs to the back by Nishiyama, but Nakazawa catches him with an elbow and regains the momentum. Chops by Nakazawa in the corner, Irish whip, reversed, but Nakazawa kicks him backwards and delivers a spear. Cover by Nakazawa, but it only gets two. Stomp by Nakazawa and he tags in Inoue. Inoue hits a scoop slam on Nishiyama, and Obata comes off the top turnbuckle with a 450 splash. Cover by Obata and Inoue, but it is broken up. A melee breaks out, but it calms down as Nakazawa hits a scoop slam on Nishiyama. Inoue then comes off the top with a diving headbutt, cover, but Nishiyama barely kicks out. Nishiyama ducks a punch and applies the backslide pin attempt, but it gets a two count. Sugiyama runs in to give Inoue a superkick, Nishiyama picks up Inoue and delivers a twisting backdrop suplex. Cover, but Nakazawa breaks it up. Nishiyama gets Inoue to his feet and hits another modified backdrop suplex, cover, but once again Nakazawa breaks it up. This time Sugiyama runs in to take care of Nakazawa, but Inoue regains the advantage with a series of headbutts. Fisherman’s Brainbuster by Inoue on Nishiyama, cover, but it only gets a two count. Inoue slaps a crab hold on Nishiyama, Nishiyama tries to fight out of it, but he eventually has to submit! Your winners: Katsumasa Inoue, Yusaku Obata, and Michael Nakazawa
Match Thoughts: The match was cut in half, which obviously took away quite a bit, but what was shown was perfectly fine. The only real hitch was Inoue had trouble applying the crab hold (of all things), but he eventually got it locked on successfully. It’s hard to rate a match where only the last half is shown, but it was generally inoffensive. Score: 5.0
Franchesco Togo, Honda, and Handsome Joe vs. Matsuda, Chocoball Mukai, and Dino
They brawl a bit to start the match, but Handsome Joe stays in the ring to pose while everyone else goes to fight in the stands. We have a *clip* as Handsome Joe is hitting a backdrop suplex on Dino in the ring. Scoop slam by Handsome Joe and he hits a delayed elbow drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. We get another *clip,* just as Dino makes the hot tag to Matsuda. He gives Togo a vertical suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Matsuda to the corner, reversed by Togo, but Matsuda gets a foot up when Togo charges and hits a bulldog off the second rope. Matsuda waits for Togo to get up, they both clothesline each other with neither man budging, but Togo knocks down Matsuda with a dropkick. Togo goes for a suplex, he can’t get Matsuda over, but he gets a little help from Honda and delivers the move anyway. Togo tags in Handsome Joe, Handsome Joe gives Matsuda an Irish whip to the corner and hits a running elbow. Another Irish whip and Handsome Joe hits another elbow in the corner. He picks up Matsuda, Matsuda slides down his back and goes off the ropes, but Handsome Joe catches him with a scissors kick. Suplex by Handsome Joe, cover, but Matsuda kicks out at two. Handsome Joe gets Matsuda into the corner, Irish whip, but Matsuda fires out of the corner with a lariat and tags in Mukai. Kicks to the chest by Mukai, but Handsome Joe delivers a shoulderblock and tags in Honda. Slaps by Honda, Irish whip, but Mukai hits a jumping clothesline. Irish whip by Mukai to the corner and he nails a running spinning back kick followed by a DDT. Mukai goes up top, hits a corkscrew senton on Honda, cover, but Handsome Joe breaks it up. Mukai knocks Handsome Joe and Togo off the apron and tags in Dino. We get yet another *clip* (the downside of them needing to squeeze the show into a 
two hour TV time slot), but it is still Dino and Honda in the ring. Dino nails the Shining Hump, cover, but the referee is pulled out of the ring by some friends of Handsome Joe. They come in the ring, but Dino applies the double Testicular Claw on them until Matsuda enters the ring to clear house. While Mukai and Matsuda have Togo and Handsome Joe well tied-up in the ring, Dino gives Honda a kiss, which causes Honda to crawl back into the corner. That wasn’t very smart, as Dino pulls down his pants (don’t worry, he has a thong on) and puts his crotch into Honda’s face. Dino then picks up Honda, nails the deadly Danshoku Driver, and picks up the three count pinfall. Your winners: Keizo Matsuda, Chocoball Mukai, and Danshoku Dino
Post match: Dino pulls down Honda’s pants, but thank God we go backstage before Dino has a chance to do anything to him. I don’t need to see that.
Match Thoughts: I knew when I saw the match was 17 minutes that it was going to be heavily clipped. To be honest, what they showed was more then enough. Dino is… interesting… but I am not sure how much I’d enjoy him in a singles match. He seems like someone that works best in small doses. I was surprised by how good Mukai looked, him being a former porn star and all, but he was pretty fluid. I guess he learned a lot during his short visit to the New Japan dojo as a youth. There wasn’t much to this and even what they showed wasn’t great, but it had a few bright spots. Score: 3.6
Hido, Mammoth Sasaki, and Takashi Sasaki vs. Ryuji Ito, Numasawa, and Abdullah Kobayashi
This is a Florescent Light Tube Death Match. A minor melee starts the match, but Hido and Ito pair off as things settle down. Irish whip by Ito and he hits a dropkick, sending Hido from the ring. He follows him out, as Mammoth and Kobayashi take over in the ring. Kobayashi goes for a shoulderblock, but Mammoth does not budge. Now Mammoth goes off the ropes, but he can’t knock down Kobayashi. Finally a clothesline does the trick, but Kobayashi is up quickly and he dropkicks Mammoth out of the ring. Sasaki and Numasawa now come in, and the two exchange chops. Numasawa avoids a back kick, tie-up, and Numasawa rakes Sasaki in the eyes. Headbutts by Numasawa, but Sasaki gives him an Irish whip, it is reversed, but after a quick exchange Sasaki kicks Numasawa hard in the head and Numasawa goes down to the mat. Numasawa falls out of the ring, Sasaki goes for a baseball slide, but Numasawa moves out of the way and throws Sasaki to the floor. As a crowd forms outside the ring, Ito gets in the ring and hits a springboard Dragon Splash down onto his opponents. We get a quick *clip,* as the wrestlers are still brawling outside the ring. Sasaki takes Ito up into the crowd and powerbombs him through a table. Back towards the ring, Mammoth goes for a chokeslam on Numasawa off the apron through a table, Numasawa blocks it at first, but Mammoth connects with a low blow and sends Numasawa down. Sasaki takes the bleeding Ito around the ring and throws him into the chairs. Hido slides Kobayashi into the ring and hits him in the head repeatedly with a steel chair. Hido picks up Kobayashi, and he punches him along with Sasaki. Kobayashi returns with a few chops on Hido, but Hido kicks him low and tags in Mammoth. Mammoth grabs a pile of chairs, puts Kobayashi’s head on one, puts another on top of Kobayashi’s head, and smashes him with a chair. Sasaki is tagged in, snapmare, he grabs a light tube, and kicks it into Kobayashi’s back. Punches by Sasaki, he grabs another light tube and hits Kobayashi over the head with it. He tags in Hido, who hits Kobayashi in the chest with a barbed wire bat. Snapmare by Hido, he grabs two light tubes, puts them on Kobayashi’s chest, and then hits him in the chest with the barbed wire bat, breaking the tubes. Irish whip by Hido and he nails a clothesline. Cover, but Kobayashi kicks out. Mammoth is tagged in, he grabs a few light tubes and scoop slams Kobayashi into them. He then puts a few on Kobayashi’s chest and delivers a leg drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Mammoth breaks two light tubes over Kobayashi’s head and tags in Sasaki. Sasaki puts Kobayashi in the corner and kicks three light tubes into him before raking his face with a broken piece. Chops by Sasaki, and a kick sends Kobayashi down to a seated position. Sasaki tags in Hido, Irish whip, and Hido applies a sleeperhold. Kobayashi slowly gets to his feet, he goes off the ropes, but Hido catches him with a clothesline. Hido then picks up a steel chair and hits Kobayashi with it, but Kobayashi is unphased and chops Hido to the mat. Mammoth quickly runs in, double Irish whip, but Kobayashi blocks the light tube clothesline and chops both men to the mat. Kobayashi goes off the ropes and hits an elbow drop on both men before tagging in Ito. Ito comes in the ring with a table piece and swing away on everyone with it. He then kicks a light tube bundle into Hido, cover, but it gets at two count. Jumping knee by Ito followed by a Northern Lights suplex, but it gets a two count as well. Ito tags in Numasawa as Sasaki is tagged in, Numasawa goes off the ropes and hits a Shining Yakuza Kick. Suplex by Numasawa, cover, but it only gets a two count. Scoop slam by Numasawa, he puts a few light tubes on Sasaki’s chest, and hits a senton on Sasaki. Cover, but the pin attempt is broken up. Numasawa tags in Kobayashi, but Sasaki blocks the chop attempt from the top turnbuckle and tags in Mammoth. Mammoth goes off the ropes, but Kobayashi ducks the clothesline and hits a headbutt. Scoop slam by Kobayashi and he nails the reverse splash from the second rope. Cover, but it gets a two count. Samoan Drop by Kobayashi, he goes to the top with a light tube and hits an elbow drop with it. Cover, but it only gets two. Numasawa runs in the ring to help, but Mammoth hits a Rydeen Bomb on him. Double Irish whip on Numasawa to the corner and all three men hit clotheslines. Cover by Hido, but Numasawa barely kicks out. Hido hits a landing piledriver on Numasawa onto a pile of light tubes (which did not break), but Kobayashi runs in the ring before he can attempt a pin. Mammoth quickly throws him out, Mammoth gets a steel chair, puts it over Numasawa’s head, and hits the Mammoth Home Run. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Mammoth picks up Numasawa, nails a Rydeen Bomb onto a bundle of light tubes, cover, but it is broken up. Sasaki picks up Numasawa, but Ito comes flying in with a springboard dropkick on Mammoth and Hido. Sasaki goes over to Ito and prepares him for a piledriver, but Kobayashi comes up from behind and hits a release German suplex on Sasaki. Ito then follows up with a Shining Wizard, cover, but Sasaki kicks out. Ito goes for a German suplex, Sasaki reverses positions with him, Ito reverses it back, but Mammoth comes in the ring and kicks Ito in the back. Stiff kick by Sasaki, he goes off the ropes, and levels Ito with a clothesline. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Sasaki grabs a bundle of light tubes, puts them on the mat, and nails a Northern Lights Bomb on Ito into them. Cover, but it is broken up by Kobayashi. Hido throws Kobayashi out of the ring as Sasaki grabs a light tube. He takes a swing at Ito, but Ito ducks it and hits a high kick, sending the light tube breaking into Sasaki’s neck. German suplex hold by Ito, but it is broken up by Hido. Numasawa and Kobayashi throw Hido and Mammoth out of the ring, Numasawa lariats Sasaki from behind, and then Kobayashi nails a muscle buster. They put a big bundle of light tubes on Sasaki’s chest, Ito goes up top, and he delivers the Dragon Splash. Cover, and Ito gets the three count pinfall! Your winners: Ryuji Ito, Jaki Numasawa, and Abdullah Kobayashi
Match Thoughts: A pretty typical current day Big Japan match, which isn’t really a bad thing, but after you’ve seen it so many times it loses its effect a little. Light tube death matches are not my favorite, I prefer a wide usage of weapons, but they did do a lot of different spots with the light tubes and did work in some other weapons as well. Any match that Ito is in he automatically elevates because he is a good wrestler period, let alone compared to death match wrestlers. I almost felt bad (well, not really) for Numasawa as when he finally got in the ring late in the match his back was almost instantly bleeding just from the glass already broken on the mat. But that’s the life of a death match wrestler. Pretty good, but nothing that will blow you away. Score: 6.2
Billy Ken Kid vs. Super Dolphin
The winner of this match gets a contract offer from Osaka Pro. Note that Super Dolphin is not the same wrestler as Super Delfin, who we will see in the next match. JIP, and as we join them Super Dolphin gets Ken Kid up on his shoulder and delivers a shoulderbreaker followed by a senton. Cover, but Ken Kid kicks out. Super Dolphin slaps on the Sasorigatame (Scorpion Deathlock), but Ken Kid makes it to the bottom rope. Super Dolphin throws Ken Kid into the corner, Irish whip, but Ken Kid kicks him when he charges in. Ken Kid slides out to the apron, hits a shoulder tackle through the ropes, and hurricanranas Super Dolphin out of the ring. Ken Kid then springboards himself up to the top rope and sails out on Super Dolphin with a somersault senton. Back up, Ken Kid slides Super Dolphin back into the ring, he applies a side headlock, Super Dolphin goes for a backdrop suplex to get out of it, but Ken Kid lands on his feet. Kick by Ken Kid, he charges Super Dolphin, Super Dolphin back bodydrops him over the top rope, but Ken Kid lands on the apron. Ken Kid hits a Diamond Dust over the top rope and follows that with a rebound bulldog off the second rope. Cover, but it only gets two. Irish whip attempt by Ken Kid, but Super Dolphin slams on the breaks and knees him in the stomach. Kicks by Super Dolphin, he goes off the ropes and dropkicks Ken Kid in the head. Ken Kid rolls out of the ring and Super Dolphin flies out of the ring with a tope suicida. Super Dolphin throws Ken Kid back into the ring, goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Super Dolphin picks up Ken Kid and hits the Jackhammer, cover, but it only gets a two count. Again Super Dolphin gets Ken Kid up, he goes for the cross-legged Death Valley Driver, but Ken Kid slides down his back. Waistlock by Super Dolphin and he goes for a German suplex, but Ken Kid lands on his feet. They both clothesline each other with neither man budging, Super Dolphin goes off the ropes, but Ken Kid catches him with a Schwein. Cover, but Super Dolphin barely kicks out. Ken Kid slowly gets to his feet, picks up Super Dolphin, scoop slam, he goes to the top turnbuckle, but Super Dolphin is up quickly and punches him before he can jump off. Super Dolphin turns Ken Kid around, goes to the top turnbuckle and goes for an avalanche-style back suplex, but Ken Kid flips all the way around and takes the blunt of the blow with his feet before rolling to the mat. Ken Kid gets up quickly, they trade blows, Ken Kid hits Super Dolphin with the Yoshi Tonic, but it only gets a two count. Ken Kid picks up Super Dolphin, they trade slaps, Super Dolphin goes off the ropes, they quickly trade reversals, Super Dolphin gets out of the backslide attempt, but Ken Kid ducks the Shining Wizard. Ken Kid goes off the ropes, again they trade reversals, but this time Super Dolphin is able to get in the backslide for a two count. Ken Kid goes for a clothesline, but Super Dolphin ducks it and drops Ken Kid right on his head with a release German suplex. Super Dolphin then nails the Shining Wizard, cover, but Ken Kid barely kicks out. Super Dolphin calls for the end of the match, picks up Ken Kid, and hits the cross-legged Death Valley Driver. He then goes to the top turnbuckle, delivers the Fishermans Splash, and picks up the three count pinfall! Your winner: Super Dolphin
Match Thoughts: Fun little match. Super Dolphin formally wrestled as Goa, for those of you that keep up with small Japanese promotions. He is now one of the aces of Osaka Pro. Even though the match was pretty simple in terms of the layout, you could tell they were from the same promotion as they wrestled really well together. There really weren’t any dead moments or signs of miscommunications at all, which is a huge plus when dealing with independent promotions. The placement on the card for this match was great as well, for it was obviously very different from the death match we just saw. Pretty entertaining match, although I wish I could have seen the entire thing. Score: 6.4
Daisuke Sekimoto, Kakimoto, and Hino vs. Super Delfin, Jinsei Shinzaki, and TAKA Michinoku
Shinzaki and Hino start things off. Tie-up to start the match, Shinzaki pushes Hino back into the corner and gives him a clean break. Tie-up again, side headlock by Shinzaki, Hino Irish whips out of it, but Shinzaki shoulder blocks him down. Shinzaki goes off the ropes, cartwheels past Hino’s attempted strike and nails a superkick. Shinzaki picks up Hino, grabs his arm, goes up to the top turnbuckle and proceeds to walk to the adjacent corner before jumping down and hitting Hino in the back. Hino tags in Sekimoto as Shinzaki tags in Delfin. They go off the ropes, but they collide with neither man going down. Delfin goes off the ropes again, ducks a clothesline and shoulderblocks Sekimoto to the mat. Again Delfin goes off the ropes, but this time Sekimoto catches him with a powerslam. Irish whip from the corner by Sekimoto, but Delfin moves when he charges and tags in TAKA. TAKA goes for a scoop slam, but Sekimoto blocks it. Scoop slam by Sekimoto and he tags in Kakimoto. Kicks by Kakimoto to the back of TAKA, and the two trade blows. TAKA pokes Kakimoto in the eyes to win the battle, he picks up Kakimoto and tags in Delfin. Delfin kicks Kakimoto in the corner, picks him up, and clubs him in the back. Snap suplex by Delfin and he drops a knee on Kakimoto’s head. Delfin gets Kakimoto up, throws him in the corner, and tags in Shinzaki. Shinzaki hits a scoop slam and hits a reverse splash from the second rope. Cover, but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Shinzaki and he slaps a reverse chinlock on Kakimoto. He eventually releases the hold, puts Kakimoto up in the tree of woe and tags in Delfin. Delfin stands on Kakimoto until he falls out of it and TAKA comes in the ring as the legal man. Snapmare by TAKA and he applies a grounded chinlock before grinding his fist in Kakimoto’s eyes. Double stomp to the head by TAKA and he chops Kakimoto in the corner. Kakimoto tries to reverses it, but TAKA throws him back in the corner and hits another series of chops followed by an eye poke. TAKA picks up Kakimoto, headbutts him, and tags in Delfin. Scoop slam by Delfin, he tells TAKA to do the crabwalk of DOOM (a patented move done by Gran Naniwa), but the lights go out. When the lights come back on, Gran f*cking NANIWA is standing in the ring. Naniwa goes up to the top turnbuckle and does the crabwalk across the second rope, Kakimoto keeps trying to roll out of the way, so TAKA holds him still so that Naniwa can nail the elbow drop. What a pleasant surprise. Naniwa leaves, cover by TAKA, but it gets a two count. Kakimoto tries to fight back, but TAKA slaps on the Just Facelock. It is broken up, but Delfin and Shinzaki both come in the ring to help out. With Delfin standing on the apron, TAKA feeds him Kakimoto’s arm so he can hit a series of armbreakers. TAKA then gives him Hino’s arm so that he can get the same treatment as well. TAKA tries to give Delfin Sekimoto’s arm, but Sekimoto reverses it and gives Delfin TAKA’s arm instead. Since Delfin is not turning around during any of this, he hits a series of arm breakers on his tag partner TAKA. Naniwa finally yells at him that he is hurting his own tag team partner and Delfin quickly lets TAKA go. Delfin and TAKA argue for a moment, allowing Kakimoto to hit a dropkick on TAKA and tag in Hino. Hino levels Delfin and TAKA, then Sekimoto comes in the ring and hits a double lariat on both of them. Shinzaki then comes flying into the ring from the top turnbuckle with a chop on Sekimoto. Kakimoto seems to have recovered, and he dropkicks Shinzaki out of the ring. Only Hino is in the ring now, he gets a running start and hits a tope suicida over the top rope on all three of his opponents. Hino throws TAKA back in the ring and goes for a German suplex, but TAKA blocks it and tags in Delfin. Delfin goes for the Shotei, but Hino ducks it and chops Delfin in the chest. Hino goes off the ropes, but Delfin catches him with a kick. Now it is Delfin that goes off the ropes, but Hino takes off his head with a lariat. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Hino picks up Delfin with a waistlock, but Delfin grabs the top rope. Hino gets him loose, but Delfin elbows out of the hold. Delfin runs off the ropes, but Hino catches him with an overhead slam. Hino tags in Kakimoto, Irish whip, but Delfin ducks the clothesline and hits Kakimoto with a Shotei. Delfin throws Kakimoto into the corner, jumps to the top turnbuckle and hits the tornado DDT. Delfin applies the Delfin Clutch, but it only gets two when both Sekimoto and Hino break it up. Delfin tags in TAKA, Irish whip by TAKA, reversed, but TAKA hits a series of kicks in the corner ending with a superkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. TAKA waits for Kakimoto to get up and goes for another superkick, Kakimoto avoids it and applies a waistlock, but TAKA elbows out of it. TAKA goes off the ropes, Kakimoto catches him and goes for a T-Bone Suplex, TAKA superkicks him to get out of it, but the kick has no effect on Kakimoto and he delivers the T-Bone Suplex anyway. Kakimoto goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the missile dropkick, cover, but TAKA barely kicks out in time. Kakimoto goes for a German suplex, but TAKA lands on his feet and charges Kakimoto. Kakimoto knocks TAKA back, but TAKA hits a jumping heel kick and tags in Shinzaki while Kakimoto tags in Sekimoto. Sekimoto goes off the ropes, but Shinzaki catches him with a kick. Now it is Shinzaki that goes off the ropes, he rolls out of the way of Sekimoto’s clothesline, but Sekimoto connects with a chop. Chops to the back by Sekimoto, but Shinzaki sits back up, unphased by the blows. More chops by Sekimoto, he goes off the ropes, but Shinzaki hits a dropkick. Shinzaki picks up Sekimoto and goes for the praying powerbomb, but Sekimoto muscles out of it with a backdrop. Sekimoto goes for a kick, but Shinzaki catches it and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Powerbomb by Shinzaki, cover, but Sekimoto manages to kick out in time. Shinzaki applies a Goku-Raku Gatame, Hino and Kakimoto come in to try to break it up, but Shinzaki simply ignores them. TAKA quickly runs in to apply a Just Facelock on Hino while Delfin puts Kakimoto in a sleeperhold, and we now have three different submission holds in the ring. Hino and Kakimoto eventually get out of theirs and finally free Sekimoto. All three men hit clotheslines on Shinzaki, with only Sekimoto’s knocking Shinzaki down. Hino then comes off the top with a splash, followed by a splash by Sekimoto as well. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hino grabs Shinzaki and hits a German suplex, then Kakimoto hits a German suplex on Shinzaki. Sekimoto comes in last, hits a German suplex hold, but TAKA and Delfin break it up. Delfin and TAKA are cleared from the ring, Sekimoto goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Shinzaki stays up. Another one by Sekimoto with the same result, but a third one sends Shinzaki to the mat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sekimoto goes over to Shinzaki while he is still on the mat, nails the dead-weight German suplex hold, and picks up the three count pinfall! Your winners: Daisuke Sekimoto, Daichi Kakimoto, and Hiroshi Hino
Post match: Shinzaki gives Sekimoto a hug and raises his hand in the air. They all shake hands before leaving. Naniwa gets back in the ring once the winning team as left, and the Delfin Gundan pose for pictures.
Match Thoughts: A really fun match with a shocking ending… in no way did I expect “Mr. Indy” Shinzaki to take the fall, and it is a big rub for Sekimoto if they capitalize on it properly. The unexpected appearance by Gran Naniwa was great and that by itself elevated the match for me since I have always liked him and unannounced surprises are always appreciated. The action itself was crisp, and Kakimoto did a good job at being the ragdoll. This was classic old generation versus new generation (TAKA isn’t really old but has been wrestling since the mid-90s) and all six did their parts well. While I think that Kakimoto and Hino are not on the same level as the other four, with it being a six man match it didn’t really matter. I still can’t get over that Shinzaki took the pinfall clean. Score: 7.3
Masho Oishi, Asahi, Kagetora, and Kishi vs. Psycho, Shanaoh, Tigers Mask, and Iifushi
Kagetora and Psycho start things off. Single leg takedown by Kagetora, they trade reversals, and Psycho applies a front facelock. Kagetora reverses it into an arm wringer, but Psycho reverses that into a hammerlock. They continue jockeying for position, takedown by Kagetora, and he applies a grounded side headlock. Psycho struggles to his feet and rolls over Kagetora, but Kagetora gets out of it and both men are back on their feet again. Knee to the stomach by Psycho and he applies a side headlock. Kagetora Irish whips out of it and hits a shoulder block, he goes off the ropes again, double leapfrog by Psycho and he chops Kagetora in the chest. Kagetora slaps Psycho in the chest, they trade chops, Irish whip by Kagetora to the corner, but Psycho gets a foot up when he charges. Kagetora charges again, but Psycho springboards off the side ropes to avoid him and dropkicks Kagetora out of the ring. Psycho tags in Iifushi as Asahi comes in for Kagetora. Iifushi and Asahi trade chops, forearm by Asahi, they continue exchanging blows, Asahi ducks a kick by Iifushi and he tags in Kishi as Iifushi tags in Tigers Mask. Tie-up, arm wringer by Kishi, but Tigers Mask flips out of it and hits an armdrag. They take turns tripping each other up, but the referee gets too close and he gets tripped up as well. Kishi covers the referee, Tigers Mask counts, but the referee kicks out at two. Side headlock by Tigers Mask, but Kishi Irish whips out of it and hits a shoulderblock. Kishi goes off the ropes, but Tigers Mask catches him with a dropkick and both men tag out again, as we get our final pairing with Oishi facing off against Shanaoh. Shanaoh is the wrestler on the right, yes, he wrestles in that, and it is pretty damn crazy. Kick by Oishi, Irish whip, he hits an armdrag, but Shanaoh comes back with an armdrag of his own. Shanaoh goes off the ropes, they jockey for position, and Shanaoh hits a multiple rotation headscissors. Kip-up by Shanaoh and he hits a springboard dropkick, sending Oishi out of the ring. Shanaoh goes to take a dive, but instead rebounds himself back in the ring in the most dangerous way possible, by flipping himself into the ropes without using his hands and bouncing back into the ring. Oishi gets back in the ring, Shanaoh clubs him in the back, snapmare, he goes out to the apron and hits a slingshot elbow drop. Kick to the back by Shanaoh and he tags in Psycho. Punch by Psycho in the corner, Irish whip, and he hits a springboard kick to the chest. Psycho applies a submission hold on the mat, but Asahi breaks it up. Psycho tags in Tigers Mask, and they make a wish with Oishi’s legs. Tigers Mask throws Oishi into the corner and slaps him repeatedly followed by the pitching motion knife edge chop. Running dropkick by Tigers Mask (as the crowd yells “SAFE!”), he sets up Oishi in the corner again, but this time Oishi moves (the crowd yells “OUT!”). Iifushi runs in the ring to stop Oishi from tagging anyone and stomps him down in the corner. Snapmare by Iifushi and he kicks Oishi in the back. Oishi fights back, Irish whip by Oishi, reversed, but Oishi hits a jumping forearm strike and tags in Asahi. Asahi holds Iifushi for Oishi, and they take turns chopping Iifushi. Asahi throws Iifushi in the corner, stomps him down, snapmare, and he tags in Kagetora. Kagetora kicks Iifushi down to the mat, scoop slam, and he hits a springboard elbow drop. Another snapmare, and Kagetora hits a running dropkick to the face of Iifushi. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kagetora tags in Kishi, who kicks Iifushi down in the corner. Irish whip by Kishi and he hits an elbow strike. Cover, but it only gets two. Kishi tags in Oishi, who rakes Iifushi in the eyes. Irish whip by Oishi to the corner and he hits a series of forearm shots. Irish whip by Oishi, and he hits a jumping forearm smash. Irish whip again, and Oishi clotheslines Iifushi to the mat. Elbow drop by Oishi, cover, but Shanaoh breaks it up. Oishi tags in Asahi, snapmare by Asahi and he cracks both of Iifushi’s legs. Single leg crab hold by Asahi, his team mates run in to protect him, but Iifushi makes it to the ropes. Stomp to the back by Asahi and he tags in Kishi. Kishi picks up Iifushi, goes off the ropes, but Iifushi catches him with a dropkick and tags in Shanaoh. Oishi and Asahi greet Shanaoh with a kick to the chest, Irish whip, but Shanaoh jumps up on the second rope and barely hits a 360 double back elbow strike. Shanaoh goes to the top turnbuckle, Kagetora tries to catch him from behind, but Shanaoh uses a cartwheel to avoid the blow. Psycho runs in and dropkicks Kagetora in the back, then Shanaoh sails out of the ring with a Space Flying Tiger Drop on Asahi and Kishi while Iifushi hits a pescado on Kagetora. Not to be outdone, Oishi gets on the apron and delivers an Asai Moonsault down onto Tigers Mask and Iifushi. Oishi throws Tigers Mask back into the ring, Irish whip from the corner, but Tigers Mask kicks him when he comes in. Oishi rolls under a clothesline however, jumps up to the second rope, and hits a moonsault for a two count cover. Oishi goes for a side suplex, Tigers Mask gets out of it with a kick, but Oishi ducks another strike and nails the uranage. Tigers Mask gets up quickly though and hits his own uranage, tiger suplex by Tigers Mask, but Kagetora breaks it up. Psycho throws Kagetora out of the ring, Tigers Mask goes for another tiger suplex on Oishi, but Asahi kicks him before he can hit the move. Irish whip by Asahi from the corner, reversed, but Asahi gets a foot up when Tigers Mask charges, landing Tigers Mask on the second rope. Oishi dropkicks Tigers Mask from the apron, sending Tigers Mask back into the ring, and Asahi comes from the apron with a springboard double stomp. Oishi then hits a moonsault, cover, but Psycho breaks it up. Kishi runs in to take care of Psycho and hits a tornado DDT. Irish whip, but Psycho hits a neckbreaker and goes out to the apron. Kagetora trips him up though before he can springboard back in the ring, Kishi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Kishi, but it only gets a two count. Waistlock by Kishi, Psycho elbows out of it and reverses it, but Kishi reverses it back. German suplex attempt by Kishi, but Psycho lands on his feet and hits a Shining Wizard. Psycho goes off the ropes and hits a scissors kick, then he goes to the apron and nails a springboard senton. Cover, but Kagetora breaks it up. Shanaoh runs in the ring, he goes off the ropes, and kicks Kagetora against the ropes. Shanaoh goes for the 619, but Kagetora ducks out of the way. Superkick by Shanaoh, and this time he connects with the 619. Multiple rotations DDT by Shanaoh, cover, but it only gets a two count. Shanaoh throws Kagetora into the corner, Irish whip, but Kagetora gets a foot up when Shanaoh charges in and hits a double stomp to Shanaoh’s back from the second rope. Kagetora goes off the ropes, hits a lariat, picks up Shanaoh, and hits a running enzigieri. Kick to the head by Kagetora, he goes off the ropes, and nails a lariat. Cover, but Shanaoh barely kicks out. Kagetora gets Shanaoh to his feet, but Shanaoh hits a Mysterio Rana to send Kagetora to the mat. Superkick by Shanaoh and he delivers a reverses DDT on Kagetora. Shanaoh goes to the top turnbuckle and goes for the Shooting Star Press, Kagetora rolls out of the way, but Shanaoh lands on his feet and hits a spinning heel kick. Shanaoh goes off the ropes, hits the hurricanrana, but Asahi breaks it up. Iifushi runs in the ring, scoop slam by Iifushi, and he goes to the top turnbuckle. Moonsault by Iifushi, cover, but Asahi kicks out. Iifushi goes for a German suplex, Asahi reverses it with a roll-up, but it only gets a two count. Backslide by Asahi, but again he only gets a two count. Asahi kicks Iifushi hard in the back of the head, cover, but he still can’t pick up the three count. Asahi puts Iifushi up on his shoulders, hits the rotation powerbomb with a victory roll, but Tigers Mask and Shanaoh both break up the cover. Tigers Mask kicks Asahi to the mat, but Kagetora comes off the top with a clothesline on Tigers Mask. Psycho dropkicks Kagetora out of the ring, Kishi and Oishi give Psycho an Irish whip, but Psycho kicks Kishi while Tigers Mask gets Oishi out of the ring. Psycho and Tigers Mask then run off the far ropes and sail down on Kishi and Oishi with unison somersault tope suicidas. In the ring, Shanaoh dropkicks Asahi and Iifushi hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Scoop slam by Iifushi in front of the corner, he goes up top, loses his balance for a moment, but regains it and nails a Phoenix Splash senton for the three count pinfall! Your winners: Psycho, Shanaoh, Tigers Mask, and Kota Iifushi
Post match: All the wrestlers come down and pose for a big group photo and sing together.
Match Thoughts: While the match had a lot of cool spots, which in a lot of ways is what many of the smaller Japanese promotions are all about, it was not near as fluid or connected as the previous match. For better or for worse, the one thing you will remember after watching this match is the presence of Shanaoh. I say for better or for worse, because he hit a lot of spectacular looking moves (such as landing on his feet after a Shooting Star Press and that wicked rebound off the ropes) but he also had more botched spots/mess-ups then every other wrestler on this event combined. In a lot of ways he reminded me of a young Hayabusa, in that he has tons of ability and athleticism, but he is not very polished yet. If you can try to block Shanaoh from your mind for a moment, then there is a lot of solid action in this match and all the other moves were hit extremely well. A lot of the guys in this match are young and inexperienced, but they are trained at this point in their careers to put on entertaining spot-fests and I think this match qualifies as that. This is not a match you’d want an up-and-comer to watch to learn how to wrestle, but if you just want to sit back and enjoy yourself then this match is pretty fun. Keep on eye on Shanaoh down the road, if he can become more crisp and accurate in the ring he will be a real Indy force in a few years. Score: 6.8
Final Thoughts:
This was the first time I had seen a lot of these wrestlers, and most impressed me. You have to understand that, like in America, in Japan the wrestling style in the independents is very different then the wresting style in the bigger promotions. That is why wrestlers rarely “move up,” the larger promotions prefer to train their wrestlers in their style while they are still young. Even though the wrestlers on this card looked impressive, out of the whole bunch it would be shocking if any more then two ever get a full time contract in New Japan, All Japan, or NOAH. With that being said, the Indy Summit is a great idea as it brings the best from a lot of different promotions together onto one card. The last three matches on the card were all very good in their own way, and this event can be satisfying if you like hardcore matches, well-worked matches, or spot fests. For something new and different, I’d have to recommend this event, as it has the presentation and atmosphere that you won’t find in many other places. Plus, it has Gran Naniwa!
Recommended
Moves in italics can be seen at www.wrestlingencyclopedia.com under the Video Clips section. Feel free to email me at wrestlingencyclopedia@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or snide remarks.
