Hakata Star Lanes, Hakata,
Japan
12/2/97 2,200 in
Attendance
Kagoshima, Japan
12/8/97 3,200 in
Attendance
Welcome back to the world
of KINGDOM Pro-Wrestling! The Birth Tour marches on as we leave the
cold northern island of Hokkaido for the southernmost island of
Kyushu. KINGDOM continues to grow as they are consistently pulling
crowds of over 2,000; even outside of their home base in Tokyo!
WE BEGIN OUR JOURNEY with
some tasty guitar riffs and images of the KINGDOM guys practicing
and warming up as HAKATA and KAGOSHIMA are emblazoned on the screen.
The December 2nd
show was filmed at the famous Hakata Star Lanes which just so happens
to be the largest bowling alley in Western Japan! Pancrase, All
Japan, and various other real/non-real/sorta real fight promotions
have all worked this venue. Sadly, I could find no info on what venue
was being used for the December 8th
show in Kagoshima!
Biographies are shown for
our first two combatants: Hiromitsu Kanehara and Kazushi Sakuraba! We
are also treated to clips of their debut fights in the UWF-I which is
lovely but also shows how small the shoot-style crowds have become as
the rise of MMA is in full swing. Also, shaved bald Sakuraba is a
sight to behold (its not a good look!). Whoever was making the
commercial release KINGDOM tapes decided to put both of their fights
back to back on the beginning of this tape so we are kinda shooting
our shot early here, but let's not despair because these battles are
classics.
Sakuraba is the first to
land with a body kick but Kanehara returns. Kanehara is able to score
a trip on Sakuraba, but Saku is able to attempt multiple submissions
and gain dominance on the ground. Like the Billy Scott and Masahito
Kakihara war from the Hokkaido tour, the wrestling between these two
is incredibly fast and heavy. Saku is trying to get past Kanehara's
guard in the up/down position by grabbing at his (very nice uwf)
boots, and is able to get in there then take back control as Kanehara
tried to get out. WOW Sakuraba slaps on a vicious cross armbar and
forces Kanehara to the ropes for a loss of a point.
Standing now, Kanehara
starts landing big shots and knees, and floors Sakuraba with a
devastating right hook square to the jaw! The crowd is incredibly hot for this, people yelp as Kanehara lands a big axe kick to Sakuraba's
head. However, Saku is able to hold the leg and bring Kanehara down
into leg lock on the right leg but Kanehara's uses a rope break before it can be fully cinched in so he's down to 3 points. They
continue to fight until Saku loses an attempt at a Kimura and is
mounted by Kanehara. The ref begins to yell HIT HIT and a woman very
concerned about Kazushi Sakuraba's health screams out as Kanehara
begins landing shots until Saku grabs the ropes. They are both down
to 3 points now.
Sakuraba eats a leg kick
that staggers him and Kanehara follows up with some wicked hooks.
They clinch up and both beginning hitting, but Kanehara gets the
better of the offense until Saku manages a single leg trip. WOAH
Kanehara grabs on Saku's heels and rocks himself forward gaining full
mount and now attempting an arm bar. Sakuraba is forced to escape
with the ropes. GOD DAMN Kanehara and Saku are both connecting and
I'll just have to post a gif to get across this sequence. Kanehara has
a rear naked choke attempt but Saku defends well (OOOoooooo from the
crowd) and escapes out into Achilles lock that doesn't work. YIKES
Saku just went for a takedown and was floored by a kick straight to
the head but he manages to stand before 10 (Saku is down to 1
point!). Single leg by Sakuraba so he can avoid all of Kanehara's
strikes, but Kanehara is able to roll with it and gets on top. He's
working but slips up and allows Saku to take his back for a rear
naked choke before Kanehara can rope break out. HUGE leg kick that
drops Saku but he gets Kanehara's leg! Back and forth with
submissions forcing another rope break from Kanehara so they are both
down to 1 point. Sakuraba passes from half to full mount and gets the
arm bar win! An absolutely fantastic bout and a KINGDOM classic, this
match was one of the first KINGDOM fights I came across on youtube in
my initial research. Highly recommended! (Sakuraba's KINGDOM theme is
so nice but I can't find it uploaded anywhere!)
Are you feeling a bit full
after that fight? Well, here it is again but instead of in the
largest bowling alley in Western Japan, we are in some unnamed (it is
definitely named but I do not know Japanese so it is a mystery to
me!) venue in Kagoshima just a few days later!
Hiromitsu Kanehara lands
two leg kicks before Saku takes him down which kicks off a ridiculous
wrestling back and forth which gets a nice applause as Kanehara backs
away and gets Saku to get back up. After some striking and clinching
up, Kanehara uses his momentum from bouncing Saku off the ropes to
land a nice belly to belly suplex. After slipping up while attempting
to jump from north/south to a leg lock, Kanehara gives up the top
position to the slippery Sakuraba but still manages to attempt an
armbar that forces Sakuraba to the ropes.
Kazushi Sakuraba lands
some nice hooks and some close upper cuts before Kanehara returns
fire with some knees (Guahhhhhh!). Kanehara forces Saku to the mat
but as expected Saku gets the better of him and forces Kanehara to
the ropes. After some very nice ground transitions, Kanehara has a
rear naked slapped on but he can't quite get it so he slides down
Saku's body for an armbar attempt which all goes wrong. Sakuraba is
able to get out and put on a leg lock that gets Kanehara back on the
ropes, putting him at only 3 points. More uppercuts from Saku as we
stand back up, and then Kanehara attempts a kneebar but its really
loose, allowing for Saku to just stand up out of it.
Jumping knee from Kanehara
and some good elbows and body shots as well! He is starting to really
walk Kazushi Sakuraba down here, strike after strike, then a head
kick clatters him. Hiromitsu Kanehara gets his win back (KINGDOM with
its 50/50 booking is killin' me) with this nice bout, but gets
nowhere near the positive crowd that Saku got at the last fight. I'm
pretty full up on good shoot style after that series but we got more
coming up!
NEXT UP we have big Yoji
Anjo coming up against Keinichi Yamamoto in what will probably be a
very solid affair! We catch a glipse of the BIRTH TOUR poster,
complete with a giant Nobuhiko Takada (our far off king ;_;) and an
absolutely hilarious zoom in on a very tiny and grumpy Anjo face.
This is definitely a battle of the COOL guys
of KINGDOM, and as expected, both cut very COOL
promos! I
also encourage everyone to take a good long look at Yamamoto's
kingdom tattoo (it probably seems like a poor decision in
retrospect).
Yamamoto is the first aggressor with head and body punches that show off his karate
background Uhhh ok so I am not sure what happens, Anjo hits
Yamamoto in the leg then brings him down then suddenly Yamamoto
starts wincing. The ref calls time and then proceeds to slap his
lower back to (I assume) to help him get over some kind of cramp,
they then take a point away for a foul from Anjo. The crowd laughs
and the boys touch gloves so no hard feelings here, maybe he hit him in the groin because I really couldn't tell. After they get up,
Anjo lands a really strong kick to Yamamoto's head as he shoots in.
He still manages to get a hold of Anjo and lives through knees long
enough to slam Anjo to the mat. Yamamoto feigns a cartwheel pass to
distract Anjo then rocks back into a leglock which forces Anjo to roll to the ropes and lose another point.
Things are tense here as
Yamamoto and Anjo stare each other down, waiting to see who punches
first. Yamamoto pokes a bit before landing a kick on Anjo (right as
he kicked) for a knockdown into a kneebar attempt that gets broken
because the fighters get tangled in the ropes. Anjo stuffs a takedown
and goes right to the neck for a rear naked that Yamamoto breaks out
of with a rope break bringing it to 3-4. Anjo lands a combo of
punches as Yamamoto shoots in, going to side back control and
bullying the smaller Yamamoto on the ground. As Anjo goes for an
ankle lock, Yamamoto grabs Anjo's ankle which causes him to use
another rope break.
An explosive double leg
from Yamamoto gets stuffed but he pushes Anjo into the corner, using
it to finally bring Anjo down. The ref demands action because they
are sort of just sitting here and breathing heavy, and eventually the
ref brings them back up. They clash kicks twice (and someone's
cellphone goes off in the crowd) and then proceed to stare down and
kick now and again. Yamamoto tries for a double but Anjo avoids it
and slaps on leg lock (then a crab) that makes Yamamoto lose a point
on a rope break. Yoooo Anjo slyly misses a punch from Yamamoto and
slaps on a choke that makes him go for the ropes which brings this to
2 points remaining for each. This fight is back up and they are SWINGING.
Yamamoto gets a single leg takedown and puts on an Anjo-like ankle
lock forcing a rope break which brings Anjo down to only 1 point
remaining! Anjo works on getting to the side position for quite
awhile and then tries an armbar that Yamamoto slips away from.
Yamamoto is now in Anjo's guard but the ref brings them up because of
a lack of action. Yamamoto kicks Anjo down but Anjo is able to slap
on a submission that I am not quite sure what it was (shame on me).
That was a very good showing for both, though I do tire of Anjo's
reign on occasion.
Yoji Anjo is back and this
time he will be facing Masao Orihara, who from previous examples here
in KINGDOM, will get wrecked belong belief. At the 37 second mark,
Anjo hits Orihara with 3 big punches that looked very real! Also
someone is playing the blues in the background as Anjo does his post
fight interview. KINGDOM is a strange place! (lol they got the
stretcher out but ended up not needing it)
HEY! Keinichi Yamamoto is
back, and this time with a very very hard to see goatee (it got
better later in his career I swear). He is going to be facing our frantic, kind of
strange MMA journeyman friend Patrick Smith. He mentions how he is
still getting comfortable with the rules which is hilarious because he has been here so many
times but, apparently, the rules remain a mystery to him and the
other foreign talent here (except Billy Scott of course). Patrick
Smith's entrance theme really bumps, it has a very industrial,
bouncy, almost animusic quality to it. Yamamoto is out here with his
UWF towel to show he means business!
Smith comes out with some
strong kicking and punch combinations, landing on the head and body.
Yamamoto forces a takedown and is working on Smith who grabs his
hands and won't let go (ref starts yelling ACTION!). The ref breaks
them and brings them up, both men begin leg kicking back and forth
until Yamamoto pushes Smith into the corner, Smith responds with
knees to Yamamoto's body and legs. They get out of the corner but
Smith has a guillotine locked on and Yamamoto is pushing him into the
ropes. WOAH Yamamoto fireman carries Smith over and down causing
Smith to immediately got for the ropes and loses a point!
Honestly this one is a bit
boring so far, definitely not a bad fight but Smith's stalling can
become tiresome and the ref agrees because hes demanding ACTION! The
ref makes them stand. Yamamoto shoots in but Smith stops the attack
and locks on a deeeeeeep rear naked that Yamamoto is able to get out
of. NICE! Keinichi Yamamoto gets the win over Patrick Smith with a
form of an ankle lock that seems to have really got to Smith. Maybe
Yamamoto cranked it a bit because Smith was uncooperative? I'm not
sure! (OMG Yamamoto is crying because of his victory!)
YOSHIHIRO TAKAYAMA is here
and looking super nice with the mid length black hair. His opponent
is Daijiro Matsui who uhhh doesn't get an interview before this match
(the hierarchy in KINGDOM has really become clear as we get deeper
into this promotion). Takayama absolutely towers over Matsui by the way, it is a pretty cool visual for the audience.
Matsui struggles valiantly in this one, and has the crowd's approval throughout. By valiantly, I mean he
gets mauled by knees, punches, and even gets dropped on his head in
an extremely high angle slam. Please pray for Matsui because he
really needs it. Yoshihiro Takayama wins in a convincing squash match
and the crowd loved it (I did too)!
RIGHT INTO the next match:
Masahito Kakihara vs Yoshihiro Takayama! Kakihara as usual, clearly
does not give a fuck by his facial expressions. Takayama is trying to
bully Kaki around but he's too strong so they trade dominance on the
ground for a bit before Takayama puts on a nice kneebar that makes
Kaki escape with the ropes (he looks pissed). Takayama reverses
Kakihara's take down attempt into a rear choke but Kaki flips
Takayama over his body to get out and gain side control! So far I am
really enjoying this much more than Takayama's typical outings in
KINGDOM. Takayama is working for a cross armbar now but gives up and starts
mount punching (ala Fire Pro) until Kakihara escapes with the ropes
bringing him down to 3 points remaining.
Kakihara lands a nice
straight left to Takayama's jaw to applause from this eager Kagoshima
crowd! Takayama lifts and drops Kaki after he tried to put a standing
guillotine on Takayama. Kakihara uses his legs to get out from under
Takayama and gets him in a kimura that leads to a rope break.
Takayama lifts Kakihara out of an armbar attempt from the guard and
slams him, and slaps on a kneebar to bring Kakihara down to 2 points. We see combinations from Kakihara until he eats a german suplex from Takayama but
is able to keep his wits and attempt for a rear naked choke which
makes Takayama go for the ropes. WOO Masahito Kakihara gets an ankle
lock win over Yoshihiro Takayama at 7:52! Kaki celebrates by flexing
a lot before hugging and then bowing to Takayama. That was fantastic,
and another great match on this card.
PATRICK SMITH is back and
this time he is going to clash with future Hans Moleman look alike
Yuhi Sano (there is proof of this in the Birth Tour Hokkaido post!).
Smith is coming out with the kicks then lands a big combo on Sano. Oh goodness, Sano smiles as Smith allows him back up after knocking him down
a bit. Clinched up Smith is throwing knees and gets Sano in a deep
choke before he rope escapes. WOW Smith is really throwing some fancy
(and extremely heavy) kicks and is getting lots of reactions from the
crowd. Sano gets locked in a standing guillotine again, and Smith
pulls guard but then ropes escapes back up lmao. Pat Smith's striking
is being avoided by Sano, but you can tell its wearing him down. Yuhi
Sano's arms are hanging low and I think he's trying to goad Smith
into something. Smith lands a devastating leg kick and then tries to
get Sano in a guillotine but he loses it. He rope breaks out as Sano
is trying for a submission.
YIKES Smith scores a big
knockdown on Sano right as they get up. Sano eats a big push kick as
he was ducking, and Patrick Smith wins with a guillotine on his 4th
or 5th attempt!
Yuhi Sano loses again and I do not like it one bit but this is how
KINGDOM played out (changing this is out of my hands!). In the post fight
interview, Smith is tired and says he pulled his right shoulder while swinging a punch.
AYE its Billy Scott and oh
no its Masao Orihara again! This time, instead of being murdered in
Kagoshima, he's getting killed in Western Japan's largest bowling
alley and I find much humor in that. Scott lands a fucking shoot
overhead lifting belly to belly. OH GOD HE CRANKED HIS ARM FOR THE 42
SECOND WIN. Billy Scott gets up on the turnbuckle and lets out a very
satisfying scream because he has 4 wins in a row! In the backstage
interview after the fight he brags about beating him so quickly while
“still being able to show the fans great technique.” Well said
Billy!
IT'S TIME to beat up on
the trainee! Masahito Kakihara is going up against our future
Pancrase and DEEP ref Minoru Toyonaga. Kaki chokes him out at the 51
second mark! He gives Toyonaga some advice afterwards and a nice
handshake.
BILLY SCOTT IS BACK and
this time his repeatedly deflecting and absorbing Toyonaga's weak
kicks. This pretty bad ass and he is just goading Toyonaga on but all
of his strikes are noneffective on Scott. A huge knee at 8:04
(apparently this was the only clipped match on the show) to
Toyonaga's head ends this.
THE BIRTH TOUR WAS A
SUCCESS! These two commercial releases containing 4 shows all
together is probably the strongest streak of all around
amazing fights in the promotions timeline. The Sakuraba-Kanehara
bouts, Billy Scott-Masahito Kakihara, Takayama-Kakihara, and others
have all been great examples of what KINGDOM is and could have been if it continued.
We have more in the horizon though, as KINGDOM prepares to have a
showdown with the UFC as KINDOM AMBITION: Kingdom vs Kenkaya Abbott
Gundan (Abbott Fighting Army) and UFC Ultimate Japan are just a few
days away!
