Section 1- Results
All Japan: Hayashi retained over Minoru Fujita on Sunday. Also, the young stars beat the veterans in a 6-man when Hama pinned Akebono, something I’d call an upset despite Hama’s Triple Crown win.
Dragon Gate: Yokosuka & Kness retained the tag titles on Sunday.
New Japan: Notable results so far from Best of the Super Juniors include Devitt over Richards, Kanemoto over Hayato, Omega and AKIRA over Kanemoto
Section 2- News
All Japan: Hayashi’s next defense will be against Taka Michinoku on July 2nd. Taka’s 2005 title reign had 12 defenses, and this will be Hayashi’s 13th. Fuchi holds the record with 14. Akebono vs Hama will take place on the 20th. TARU & Viscera defend the All Asia titles on July 1st against Kondo & Hiroshi Yamato. The July 4th event in Osaka will have Suzuki defending against Kono, and Suwama & Hama vs Akebono & Kea for the vacant tag titles.
Dragon Gate: Yoshino vs Kagetora on the 13th will determine Yamato’s challenger at the Kobe show. And unless there’s a death or horrific accident during the match, that will be Yoshino. Also set for Kobe is Hulk vs Shingo. A trios title match on the 20th will have the winner of next week’s match defend against Doi, Tanizaki & Pac.
New Japan: Rikio suffered an injury, and will be replaced by Shiozaki in the title match on the 19th. Tiger Mask was hurt early in the tournament and will miss the rest of it.
NOAH: Rusher Kimura passed away. I’ll deal with that in greater detail down the line. Sunday’s show will have KENTA vs Marufuji, and Smith & Walker defending against Sugiura & Taniguchi.
Section 2a- Meltzer news
NOAH: They have Ariake Coliseum booked for August 22nd, and using that venue twice in a row for 10th anniversary events clearly signals the end of them using Nippon Budokan (unless they can get a super-big main event).
Section 3- Top Shill
â€The Grand Guignolâ€. Man, that’s way better than any of my column titles.
Section 4- Media Corner
I Love … The ‘80s? Part 1
We’re taking a break from 1990 in order to celebrate the upcoming culmination of the Best of New Japan in the 1980s vote
over at DVDVR. Also, I’m still working on the matchlist for the early ‘90s; there’s a lot of material I haven’t watched!
Fujinami vs Dynamite Kid, WWF junior title, New Japan February 5th 1980.
Fujinami was a hell of an athlete during his prime in the ‘80s. Dynamite Kid has all the hype he’ll ever need, but I’ll add that it’s his mean streak that makes this one extra-special.
Gran Hamada vs Babyface, New Japan April 3rd 1980.
Babyface is (ironically) a heel from Mexico. Hamada is the vastly underrated father of ‘lucharesu’. The high-flying in this isn’t just slightly ahead of its time, but way WAY ahead.
Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, New Japan September 23rd 1981.
Not too long ago I thought Andre was overrated and had a reputation built more on being a freak show who happened to headline Wrestlemania 3, rather than being a good wrestler. That opinion? Ignorant and wrong. Andre was smart, charismatic, and when he turned it on during his prime he was world-class. This particular match is a clash of titans unlike any other, and it won’t win any style points but it sure is fun.
Abby versus Tiger Mask is a huge clash of styles on paper but it actually works out really well. Dynamite and Babyface bring the structure, Fujinami and Tiger Mask do their thing, and Inoki is a non-factor but that’s okay.
Tiger Mask vs Steve Wright, WWF junior title, New Japan April 1st 1982.
Steve is the father of future WCW wrestler Alex, and man alive does he rule using European style. Cool stuff all over the place in this one.
Andre the Giant vs Killer Khan, MSG League final, New Japan April 1st 1982.
Khan replaces an injured Inoki in the finals… and it’s a good thing?! A match between two guys who generally wrestle like lumbering brutes just happens to be one of the smartest matches you’ll see. Andre entertains during restholds, Khan uses simple but effective strategery, and the dude working as a Mongolian savage gets babyface sympathy heat. I love pro wrestling.
Section 5- Steve Williams in Japan
Sadly, Meltzer wasn’t able to find time for one of his trademark in-depth obits. But thankfully there are other sources to draw from!
Notes from his 2001 shoot interview
-He had to handle a lot of wrestlers shooting on him in New Japan, but that wasn’t an issue in All Japan. [New Japan’s dojo has much more emphasis on teaching shoot technique than All Japan]. He never had a problem with New Japan, and only wound up in All Japan because the companies had agreed to share him whenthey exchanged some gaijin talent for a brief period. All Japan then made him a better full-time deal. When it came time for the All Japan vs New Japan feud in 2000/2001, Steve was more than happy to take part. He didn’t think it would end up like UWF getting jobbed out in WCW in the ‘80s.
-Mid-South was stiff, so he was comfortable in Japan.
-He never got along with Kawada, though after the NOAH split they tried to cooperate more for the sake of the company.
-Felt he could use the backdrop once Jumbo stopped touring, though he did it amateur-style.
-On Jumbo and Taue: “Very slow, very deliberate”. Steve clearly prefers the better athletes who are more physical.
-He had his knee scoped 19 days before going 40+ minutes with Kobashi on 9/3/94, and that was his favorite match. Said he really missed working Kobashi, and he said this despite being upset over the NOAH split (he laid the blame on Misawa).
-After coming back from injury, WWF asked him to wrestle in FMW. Steve said he’d rather not, and WWF took that as a refusal and said he breached his contract.
-Mrs. Baba came from a wealthy family, so between that and the All Japan money, Steve was confident All Japan would survive. Turns out he was right!
-Almost died in college due to a fluid buildup around his heart, but came back to make the NCAA finals in wrestling. He pinned Gary Albright and Dan Severn that year.
-Says that Patriot ripped off Baba, but never goes into detail.
-Doesn’t like Mutoh. Steve helped Mutoh in the mid-80s in the US, but he doesn’t like what Mutoh did with All Japan.
-Steve met Inoki at World Class, where they had a singles match. Steve impressed Inoki and they became friends. As Steve started to get fed up with Dusty and Crockett, he got booked for his first New Japan tour and immediately enjoyed it there. Steve KOed Inoki with a belly-to-belly, and improvised until Inoki was with it enough to go through with the planned finish. This got him an extended stay in Japan and gave him more leverage over Dusty, saving his relationship with JCP until the Turner buyout.
-Steve signed with WCW and his contract let him work Japan. He stayed in WCW for a year, then went full-time in Japan. He returned to WCW when Watts became booker, and with Baba’s encouragement. It didn’t work out, as Steve only got 75 of his contracted 100 dates after Gordy busted out of WCW due to personal issues. Steve said he got what he was promised in Japan based on a handshake, in comparison to WCW falling short of a written guarantee.
-While on steroids and working out, his thighs got so big that it caused severe discomfort due to them rubbing together and pants not fitting right.
-Hawk introduced cocaine to Steve’s drug rotation (roids/booze/pot) while they were traveling together in WCW. Both were going through personal issues. Steve says he was an addict. Got busted three times but got off with: 1 year probation, 1 year suspension from All Japan, and a 10k fine, respectively.
-Steve was cut by WCW in 2000 because he wouldn’t put over A-Wall, who only had a few weeks experience.
-Steve refers to matches in Japan as a shoot, repeatedly. Huh. Was it not calling stuff? Going at it on the mat? “No communicationâ€.
-A match with Masa Saito was stiff and got out of hand. Steve blew out a knee, and Saito went after it, leading to gaijin running in to protect Steve… and Vader throwing worked shots to Japanese guys at ringside. Afterwards Steve yelled at Vader, not Saito.
-Busted three of Yatsu’s ribs with a suplex.
-Fujiwara threw a shoot headbutt that knocked the wind out of Steve, so Steve took him down and almost broke him in half with a Boston crab, to the point where the ref was telling Steve not to do it so hard.
-Referee Peter Takashi was supposed to be a gaijin handler, but his dad died in WW2 so he hated gaijin.
-Steve and Gordy had wanted to be a team. A Japanese reporter eventually put Steve and Baba together. Steve thinks Baba was the best boss he had, even better than his mentor Watts.
-Misawa legit KOed Steve with an elbow once.
-Steve did his own angle during the All Japan/NOAH split, calling out Misawa for a match on the tour where the All Japan and NOAH wrestlers didn’t do anything together. He says that Misawa was offended by the challenge. Steve has no hard feelings and says he wants to patch things up, though that’s not what he said in ’01.
-Kawada knocked Steve’s front teeth out.
-Tenryu tried to get Steve to jump to WAR when it first started in 1992.
-He writes that All Japan “Packed the dome on a regular basisâ€, which is absurd because they only ran the venue three times and the third time was well short of a sellout.
-Albright was a ‘jeckyl & hyde†who partied hard and had a bad temper. He was diabetic but didn’t take care of himself, leading to the heart attack.
-Very little detail about his main run in All Japan, much like his shoot interview. I suspect this is because of how few people would care about those details compared to those who want the nitty-gritty about his escapades in the US.
-Williams had a final appearance at IWA Japan, where he previously had a short stint as booker after leaving All Japan.
Notes from Meltzer in 1988
-In January ’88 he got caught at a US airport trying to bring steroids, cocaine, pot and other illicit substances into Japan, but because it was a first offense he didn’t get jail time.
-Inoki had wanted to give Williams a huge push, but Williams had to miss too many shows as a result of NWA dates. Inoki went with the much less experienced Vader, and the rest is history.
Steve Williams matches in All Japan not highlighted in the Misawa or Kobashi sets
Williams vs Hansen, June 5th 1990.
Steve’s first big singles match in All Japan, and it was a big hit. Hansen bleeds and sells like crazy, while Williams looks credible beating the tar out of one of wrestling’s legendary tough guys.
Williams vs Kobashi, June 8th 1990.
Kobashi, just a two year pro at this point, is given plenty of offense and is made to look great by Doc. This showed how well they meshed, with both wanting to work hard and willing to do whatever it took in the ring.
Gordy, Williams & Richard Slinger vs Jumbo, Taue & Ogawa, May 25th 1992.
I don’t have more Miracle Violence Connection matches on here because Gordy got most of the spotlight; I’ll cover them in “I Love The ‘90sâ€. Williams does get some spotlight in this.
Williams, Tracey Smothers & Joel Deaton vs Misawa, Kobashi & Kikuchi, August 23rd 1993.
Here’s a huge 6-man. Gordy was out of All Japan for good, forcing Williams to immediately step up as one of the company’s leaders. He did so in a big way, with this match marking the debut of his signature finisher. It neatly sets up the Williams vs Kobashi singles classic a week later.
Misawa vs Williams, Triple Crown, September 3rd 1993.
Although this was Steve’s third title shot, it was the first time he really had a shot of winning. Misawa bumps like a man who would eventually die from bumping too hard, while Williams delivers a strong performance just three days after a very demanding battle with Kobashi. The main complaint I have in this is with Misawa not selling *enough* for Williams, something that was improved upon in their July ’94 rematch.
Williams vs Kawada, Champions Carnival 1994 final.
Steve’s wars with Kobashi are more famous, but I consider this to be his best singles match. A top-notch ‘feeling out’ opening section, followed by Williams putting a ton of hurt on Kawada, culminating in possibly my favorite comeback ever. This happened the same night as J Cup 1994, and dang but there’s nothing on J Cup that holds up the way this does.
Misawa & Akiyama vs Williams & Ace, tag titles, June 7th 1996.
Wrestling Observer’s 1996 MOTY. Akiyama got his first big win by pinning Kawada to win the tag titles two weeks before. However, it was done in such a way as to make you wonder if Akiyama really earned it. This match cements the fact that Akiyama really had arrived, in no small part because he’s able to go at it with a powerhouse like Williams. The last ten minutes are ultra-hot.
Misawa & Akiyama vs Williams & Ace, tag titles, September 5th 1996.
Solid throughout, and even though the finish doesn’t quite match up with the June bout this is still a heck of a tag.
Misawa & Akiyama vs Williams & Ace, tag league 1996.
Hey, these teams again. And it’s good. Whaddya know.
Tenzan & Kojima vs Williams & George Hines, April 14th 2001.
Steve wasn’t the same after his runs in WWF and WCW. He ended up with several major injuries and a damaged ego. As such there’s a lack of Japan highlights from after 1996. TenKoji were the hottest team in Japan at this point in time, and though Doc Death wasn’t in his prime he could still bring it under the right circumstances. Hines, who also wrestled as Jackie Fulton and The Eagle, is probably the one most helped by looking good in this.
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Steve Williams was almost perfectly designed for the high-impact style of Japan. He had a motor that wouldn’t quit, a great background in amateur wrestling, and enough size to be significantly bigger than his Japanese opponents. The style did take its toll, but ultimately it was cancer that robbed his health and took his life. Fast living meant that he didn’t save nearly as much as he should have given the money he was making in the ‘90s, but he learned his lesson and turned his life around before the end. His body was destroyed, but as his book makes clear, his soul was the healthiest it had ever been during his final years.
RIP, Doc.
