KINGDOM: Birth Tour Hokkaido 11/15/1997 & 11/19/1997

KINGDOM: Birth Tour Hokkaido
(FULL SHOW LINKED HERE)

Hakodate Shimin Taiikukan, Hakodate, Japan
11/15/1997 1,150 in Attendance

Nakajima Sports Center, Sapporo, Japan
11/19/97 2,612 in Attendance

HEY everyone! Welcome back to our exploration of KINGDOM Pro Wrestling. Oh... you thought the Birth Tour had ended!? Well you thought wrong, bu that's OK as we are venturing into the cold northern island of Hokkaido (hope you have your KINGDOM branded jackets and long sleeve shirts ready) to spread the holy message of shoot-style pro-wrestling that allows closed fists!

This commercial tape is a collection of two shows mixed together, one filmed on the November 15 at the Hakodate Shimin Taiikukan (Civic Gymnasium) in Hakodate and the other at the Nakajima Sports Center in Sapporo. As we open this tape, we are shown images of the two venues and camera shots of the fighters featured tonight. The Hakodate Civic Gymnasium was opened in 1975 and played host to many pro-wrestling events, concerts, and much more in its lifetime. Sadly, it is now a parking lot of a new stadium that was recently built in 2015. The second building is the Nakajima Sports Center, built in 1954 for the National Sports Festival of Japan, and like the Hakodate venue was made of brick and steel. By the end of the 90s, the venue had become unprofitable and it was eventually demolished. Let us mourn the loss of multi-purpose gymnasiums in Japan and all over this earth!

Hakodate Shimin Taiikukan

Nakajima Sports Center

This tape is a no-frills affair, akin to the Million Yen Tournament from a while back. This is packed with wrestling and only the last fight on the tape is clipped thankfully, so this one clocks in at a hair over 2 hours! But lets stop talking because its our dude Hiromitsu Kanehara about to collide with Shunsuke Matsui in front of this fairly small Hakodate crowd.

The color scheme on this blue, white, and grey KINGDOM ring is spectacular!

These guys come out kicking but Matsui snatches the waist and tries unsuccessfully for a takedown. Kanehara lands some light shots but the ref makes them break and deducts a point from Matsui for...... some reason? Matsui then sells a bit in the corner to make up for the early break. They start back again with kicks, but Matsui manages a takedown. Matsui throughout these events has shown how spectacular his wrestling abilities are, and this in my opinion was later confirmed by his adventures in legit MMA. Unfortunately his mixed record clouds many peoples' judgment of the guy (he's good trust me!).

Back to the fight, it is a pretty even handed struggle so far with Matsui staying away from strikes and Kanehara neutralizing Matsui's attempts at gaining dominance on the ground. Kanehara tries for a choke but just cannot get his arm under the chin. After losing it, he is finally able to sink it in but the ropes are so close that Matsui easily escapes. Now they are back up and Kanehara is beginning to land, forcing Matsui to shoot but Kanehara stuffs it and take his back once more. Matsui expends another point in getting out of a cross armbar.

Kanehara starts landing knees to the gut and then trips Matsui down to the mat. Kanehara has really begun to take over and forces another escape from Matsui. This was initially an even battle but Kanehara is beginning to overwhelm him, and hey look at that, a cross armbar for the win!

After a post fight interview, we have another fight featuring Hiromitsu Kanehara going up against MMA journeyman Patrick Smith who has become somewhat a regular in this later period of KINGDOM. We see some footage of Smith warming up and practicing, and then hes interviewed saying he's heard some talk about this guy, "his kicking is pretty good." “I hope he jumps... because I'm gonna shoot!”

Oh hey that was an interesting promotional poster, I wonder why Takada is the biggest person on there]

TONS OF FANS come up to pat the shoulders of Patrick Smith (who has some sick music here) so it seems like he's gotten over fairly well with the crowd! Of the foreign talent coming in, Smith has definitely performed well. Kanehara enters with his typical building guitar music and drum beat, wearing his weird leather top.

The crowd is silent for this because they can tell its about to pop off. It starts with some back and forth kicking with Kanehara getting Smith down but the ref has to admonish Kanehara as he almost soccer kicks Smith. Big shoot in from Kanehara and Smith wraps his legs around Kanehara's waist. Kanehara bounces off the corner and is able to get Smith down.

The ref is demanding action because Smith has Kanehara gripped tight and wont let him reel up to drop punches. Eventually, the referee is forced the break them and bring them up standing. Smith misses a nice kick and then shoots hard for a double leg takedown but Kanehara stops it and grabs the back causing Smith to throw himself into the ropes to escape the situation. Smith lands some nice kicks but Kanehara returns with one landing fairly square on the head. After another stopped takedown, Smith uses another escape to bring it back up.

Kanehara remains a tough nut to crack until Smith lands some nice punches and strikes before Kanehara clinches up and gets them on the ropes. Smith separates and continues to land some clean strikes, but Kanehara is able to clinch and trip into a full back mount with hooks in, transitioning into a fully torqued armbar that it looks like Patrick Smith really felt! Hiromitsu Kanehara does the water spit spot into the air to celebrate!

The beginning of this tape is stacked as the next bout is between Yuji Anjo, the real commander of KINGDOM while Nobuhiko Takada does uhhhh whatever he is doing, and the nicest guy around Kazushi Sakuraba! I am very excited for this since this is a rematch of their Million Yen Tournament bout that saw Sakuraba upset and knock the venerable Anjo out of the tournament in the first round. As usual, Sakuraba is all smiles in his pre-fight interview and we can tell Anjo means business because hes wearing his 200% jacket!

why is he touching the wall like that?

The crowd right off the back is screaming the names of these guys. Anjo opens with a clean right but then Saku answers with a head kick. Both are feigning until Saku goes for a double leg that Anjo counters with a knee and a kick... which Saku catches! Sakuraba has Anjo's back but bucks out.

Anjo unloads, and misses a combo, and Saku pushes into the corner. Anjo starts throwing elbows and gets out of that situation quickly. Back in the corner Anjo lands a sickening kick and punch combo that absolutely floors Saku for a point deduction. Saku is able to bring this back down again with a trip, but gets stuck in up/down position! He goes for a cartwheel to side control but what's this! Anjo was able to counter that somehow, and after Saku attempts to pass again, Anjo sits up and is able to get on top.

After a rope escape by Saku, we have little back and forth with high kicks (none really connect but the crowd liked it). Anjo is able to defend and get out of a rear naked choke and then uses a rope escape to bring the fight back up. Once up, Yoji Anjo begins to dangle his arms and mock Saku's patented showboating, causing the crowd to literally woop with joy, fear, or any number of emotions!

Saku and Anjo get tied up in the ropes and Saku locks on an armbar but its instantly broken because... they are in the ropes. Saku lands a nice uppercut but Anjo is still able to get the takedown and leg lock forcing a rope escape from Sakuraba. HOLY FUCK he just floored Saku again with a very heavy combo. A big missed kick from Anjo and he eats a German Suplex! OH what Kazushi Sakuraba just got reversed into a Ken Shamrock-like Ankle Lock and tapped out to Yoji Anjo. Overall, that was a fun one despite maybe being a bit lackluster, but I enjoyed Anjo's strikes quite a bit here (Sakuraba is still all smiles despite the loss!).

ALRIGHT we are into another Yoji Anjo match, this time with the incredibly stressed and not interested Yuhi Sano! The way he looks into the camera makes me sad because he seems exasperated and I have quite enjoyed him here in KINGDOM. I have also learned recently that he looks like Hans Moleman now which I can confirm as true!!

"Why am I still here?"

As we mourn Sano's youthfulness, let us take a good look at this match. Yoji Anjo lands some strikes to start this one off but its tepid, both are strong strikers and they don't wanna get killed coming in too quick. Sano is able to avoid a big combo from Anjo by walking back, and then attempts a spinning kick but Anjo runs away so he only gets a little contact. We get to the ground as Sano throws a kick that gets grabbed by Anjo, and now Anjo is working on a choke from the back which forces a rope escape.

Yuhi Sano has been good at avoiding Anjo's punishing strikes, and the majority of this has been standing. Right as I type this, Anjo punches Sano in the face after catching a kick. After this, Sano begins getting overwhelmed by Anjo's attacks, he is getting tired and his hands are hanging low. Anjo scores a big single leg after Sano misses, and is now in full mount so the ref is shouting HIT HIT. After some stalling, Anjo and Sano start punching each other a but before Anjo rears up and lands some good ones. WOAH Sano swings his legs up and is able to rock back and hook both legs for a DOUBLE LEG LOCK that forces a rope break and a nice applause from the crowd. Big shots from both to each others head-zone, and now Sano is working for an arm lock that forces another escape! Yoji Anjo catches a kick from Yuhi Sano and gets the submission with a heel lock for the big double win. That one was pretty good but its sad to see Sano lose again after the last show we watched.

UP NEXT we got a rumble between Yoshihiro Takayama and Keinichi Yamamoto! BUT I regret to inform you that this is not a very good one. While Yamamoto is very cool, he isn't the best on the roster by any means, but combined with Takayama's issues in this style, I just did not find this one enjoyable. Everything was just too loose. Yamamoto is definitely the better of the two here and does engage in some nice position changes on the ground. Yoshihiro Takayama ends up getting the win with a big arm bar that he had been trying to get ALL bout. Idk the crowd seemed to enjoy this but it just was not for me!

We get another Yoshihiro Takayama match next, but this time it's certified indie sleaze and constant punching bag Masao Orihara! Takayama absolutely towers over Orihara here and I imagine a murder is about to take place here in front of a crowd of a little more than a thousand people. HOLY SHIT Takayama cracks Orihara with a big head kick for a knockdown but Orihara manages to get up, and then proceeds to eat multiple hooks right to the face. He can't stand up straight so our winner is YOSHIHIRO TAKAYAMA! Now that was a good squash and the crowd loved it as well.

KAZUSHI SAKURABA RETURNS! Now he will be facing Keinichi Yamamoto who is seen in his pre-fight interview wearing a sleek, blue North Face jacket and he brings a UWF towel to the ring which is a nice touch. We start with an immediate takedown by Sakuraba who holds on for dear life as Yamamoto tries to roll out and back up, once Saku has a hook in he will not let go. They return up and Yamamoto gets a single of his own, using the ropes to lift Saku up onto his shoulders then slamming him down onto the mat.

I look away for a second and now Saku is on the top in half guard lol. He is just so utterly calm and fluid even after being noticeably in pain from that slam, he never rushes. Yamamoto attempts a rear naked but Saku is able to rope escape. Sakuraba eats some big knees but is able to get Yamamoto onto the ground and is now working the legs but the ref breaks and brings them up. Yamamoto tries for a takedown but Saku stops it then howdys around to take the back. He is able to attempt an arm bar but Yamamoto taps the rope with his foot. Yikes! Sakuraba just ate a big german suplex and is forced to rope escape once more, its down to 3 on 3 now. YOOO Sakuraba has him in a crucifix suddenly and then gets an arm bar for win wow that was tight. People didn't cheer as much as I expected for that nifty submission win... I dont think they know what Sakuraba will become in only a months time at UFC Japan. Time has made them fools, but they will know soon enough.

OH YEA Its Patrick Smith with his super cool music and hes rocking a USA sleeveless shirt and the bad boy branded hat, very 1997! And its the bad man himself: Masahito Kakihara, the baby face who will shoot kick you in the head. WOAH Patrick Smith shoves Kaki before we get the ring announcement of the fighters so I can assume this will be heated once we start.

We start off with some kicking (as is customary) before Kaki brings Smith down with a nice scooping double. The speed of this match is incredible so far. Its the speed of these bouts which really sets KINGDOM apart from the other shoot-style promotions of the day. Kakaihara allowed the very strong Smith to take his back who has sunken in a deep rear naked that Kaki thankfully rope breaks out of. Wow Smith has some very showy but accurate kicks, the crowd is impressed. Kaki is back in top position in Smith's guard and as often happens with MMA fighters visiting KINGDOM Patrick Smith starts kicking Kaki from the bottom which the ref quickly puts a stop to. After some struggling, Kakihara grabs a heel and rocks back for the leg lock but Smith is able to not panic and puts himself on top. The ref yells hit and he punches causing Kakihara to let go of the hold and they are back up. Smith launches a series of rushing karate strikes and forces Kaki into the corner, dropping him with a huge kick to the back of the leg.

Kaki loses a point and once up tries a double leg but Smith stops it and circles around but decides to not take the back and just separates to make this a stand up fight once more. They both high kick and the impact is so hard they both fall down which gets more wooOOOOOO and Woops from this Hokkaido crowd. After another rope break from Smith during some ground fighting, Kakihara grabs a kick and punches Smith in the face bringing it back down. He hooks a heel deep and Smith rolls over so Kaki cranks and turns it almost into a half crab while screaming loudly which forces another rope break. Smith is down to 3 and so is Kakihara! Masahito Kakihara attempts a takedown but out of nowhere Patrick Smith locks on a guillotine and gets the submission win! The crowd is sort of stunned into silence because the foreign talent (other than Billy Scott of course) usually gets punked out but that did not happen here. Smith is pissed for some reason and shoves Kakihara off of him before celebrating. Weird!

HEY its Masahito Kakihara again! This time he's in Sapporo and he is facing Billy Scott, a guy we haven't seen for a few posts. We are right into this one, no interview or entrances. Right out of the gate we see Kakihara crowding out Billy Scott with his strong kicking because he knows that Scott can punch well especially in close. They each land a bit then its on the ground and honestly I cannot put into words the speed and veracity of the wrestling in this. Scott arm drags Kaki to the ground with such an intensity and Kaki is right back hooking the arm trying for Kimura. This is not loose, but violent and heavy.

Billy Scott always makes these great faces when one of Kakihara's kicks whizz by just barely, he knows how bad that would hurt. They mix in both fast paced sections and then slower, more deliberately paced areas where someone really tries for a submission or a better position. Kakihara is the first to have to use a rope break, and after standing up Scott lands a solid punch that stuns Kakihara but certainly didnt floor him yet the ref calls it a knockdown anyways. Instead of eating the penalty, Kakihara complains and makes faces at the crowd in frustration and then SHOOT punches Scott twice right in the mouth square. Yikes we are on the ground now and we can see Scott checking his mouth for blood (there totally is blood lol).

It is past 5 minutes and Kakihara forces Scott to rope break for his first point deduction so its 3-4 now. WOW Scott lands a massive german (the crowd  yelps) and does an even fucking crazier one (the crowd yelps even louder) for a knockdown that almost causes Kakihara the match! As they get up, Scott goes for a third german suplex but Kaki rolls and hooks the leg forcing him to rope break, bringing this one to 3 points left for Scott and 2 for Kaki.

Kaki kicks but then eats a quick jab combo. On the ground, Kaki is maintaining his top position and moves from guard to mount but Scott is able to pull out of a face lock and grab Kaki's back to attempt a choke. The choke doesn't quite sink in and Kakihara is able to sit up then snatch the foot and force another escape from Scott (Its down to 2-2 and Scott's mouth is filled with blood). After missing a spinning kick, Kakihara gets taken down by Scott who attempts the rear naked choke once again but can't get it. This mat work is fantastic and its been 10 minutes past according to the ring announcer so this is a LONG one in the world of KINGDOM.

Scott eats some huge knees from Kakihara so he is down to only 1 point. After he gets up, Kakihara rushes Scott into the corner, but oh my god he grabs the waist and slams Kaki with a big belly to belly suplex (with great yells included). YES BILLY SCOTT WINS WITH THE ARM BAR AND DOES THE MOST SATISFYING SCREAM OF VICTORY! The crowd applauds and he gets some nice whistling for his actions. What an amazing fight, possibly my favorite so far in our journey through KINGDOM. The quality of wrestling and striking from both fighters, and the intensity and emotions involved make this the real gem of this Birth Tour of Hokkaido. With a mouth full of dried blood, Billy Scott says in his post-fight interview “I feel very good.”

After that absolute classic, now its time for the return of sad man Yuhi Sano and perpetual punching bag Masao Orihara. This is over in 56 seconds. Let us CLAP because the booker let Yuhi Sano win again!

Its the KINGDOM trainee, Minoru Toyonaga, and he's now about to face Billy Scott. Let us pray for him! Toyonaga tries to take Scott down as to not get punched anymore but Scott rolls through and is now on top, just pushing down on this guys head. This manhandling forces Toyonaga to grab a rope for the escape. WOW Toyonaga scores a big lifting double on Scott, however Scott quickly is able to force his way into Toyonaga's guard. OH GOD Scott just dropped him like a brick with this uppercut but Toyonaga is able to get back up somehow! He goes for another double leg but Scott sinks in the read naked choke for the nice win. A celebration is in order because Billy Scott won twice in a row, a huge deal in this KINGDOM of back and forth booking!

This is the final match and we open up already in the thick of things. Toyonaga just escaped and is down to 3 points while Matsui still has all 5. God Matsui is just beating up on the poor guy, big strikes to the face and scores another knockdown. Toyonaga holds his own a bit, even scoring a nice uppercut on Matsui. Toyonaga eats some knees and then a big punch bring him down again, he gets up but he is down to only one point. HEY! he ducks a hook and scoops Matsui all the way up, holds him to showboat, then slams him down. Shunsuke Matsui still manages to get the armbar win however. Both of these fights with the rookie were brutal and possibly shoots I think (nothing like a nice beat in!).

What a fantastic set of shows. These were probably the most consistent events in KINGDOM quality wise, but that fight between Billy Scott and Masahito Kakihara really brings this to another level. That fight is worth watching on its own as an example of how unique the style of KINGDOM was. One part UWF, one part MMA, and just a little bit of flash makes KINGDOM an incredibly unique and enjoyable watch. We are rapidly getting toward the end but do not fret! Our next stop will be in Kyushu for another leg of the Birth Tour, and afterwards, we head into two events that were KINGDOM's collaboration with the UFC. The almost unknown KINGDOM AMBITION: Kingdom vs. Kenkaya Abbott Gundan (Abbott Fighting Army) and the moment that Sakuraba made his first international splash, UFC JAPAN!