KINGDOM: Birth Step 2 6/20/1997

KINGDOM PRO-WRESTLING: Birth Step 2

Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan

6/20/1997 3,300 in Attendance

We begin this next step in the birth of THE BATTLE FIELD THAT IS KINGDOM and are greeted by some absolutely stellar opening aesthetics. The KINGDOM theme begins and we are met with images of all the extremely tough dudes on the permanent roster. There is a calmness that follows the opening here that the first show didn't have, as we are met with images of the beautiful Yoyogi Gymnasium which was constructed for the 1964 Olympics (mostly used for aquatic events). After a little digging, there are actually 2 gymnasiums within the structure and I am pretty sure KINGDOM events were held in the smaller second gymnasium with an official capacity 3,202 (but they probably were selling standing room tickets that pushed the attendance above that).

It even has a suspension roof!

Next we see images of all the KINGDOM dudes working out and getting ready for the show (including a smiling Sakuraba!) followed by a fighter parade. All the KINGDOM roster is here with numerous visiting fighters (Nikolai Gordeau has graced us with his presence once again so we have trouble in the near future). We hear a few short speeches from the likes of Hiromitsu Kanehara and Yoji Anjo (I dont know why this dude is so over even after the Rickson Gracie incident), but really the main focus of all of this is the KINGDOM branded tracksuits. They are a lovely blue, red, and white.

Man these are some nice tracksuits

But now we have our first bout! This one is gonna be between Billy Scott and Shunsuke Matsui! Matsui in the last event unfortunately was KO'd by Nikolai Gordeau's “high kick then awkwardly sit on your neck” maneuver so hopefully this one works out better for him! Billy Scott is his opponent, an alumni of UWFi and a trainee at the UWFi dojo under Billy Robinson, and for these reasons I think this guy is going to be sick as hell. He discusses in a badly done but quite endearing pre-match interview that the use of these black fingerless gloves (its interesting seeing how excited fighters were about them before they were standardized) will really help him because in the UWFi he couldn't punch to the head which left him at a disadvantage to strong kickers. Billy Scott runs an MMA and Catch Wrestling instruction facility in Kentucky these days, its good to know that this stuff is still being taught and put in to practice in modern combat sports! Another plus of Scott: he's rocking a nice little mullet.

This one begins and we are at a flaming hot pace! Instant back and forth on the ground until Scott demands Matsuit to get up. We end up with Scott on his back with Matsui standing in his guard, but he's quickly admonished for striking Scott in the head since they are not both on the ground. Scott grabs a heel hook but Matsui fights out, this is a constant back and forth struggle. They are hooking and trading positions, constantly looking for something to twist or a choke to dig in.

They are back on their feet and Scott has some very solid striking abilities, so Matsui quickly brings it to the ground. Scott forces Matsui to the ropes for the first break. This striking is definitely shoot as Scott misses with a thunderous uppercut and Matsuit gets a huge takedown into a choke, and Scott is barely able to get to the ropes. As they stand up, Scott lands a clean right upper cut that scores a knockdown. Matsui gets up but has a bad cut under his left eye. The doctors clean him up a bit and we are back to the action. This match has probably been my favorite so far in this KINGDOM of Shoot and we aren't even done yet. Single leg from Scott but Matsui stuffs it and takes the back as we get a comical yet effective moment of Billy Scott running away out of the clinch. They immediately hit the ground but Scott gets the ropes. Scott hits a great belly to belly suplex to a huge WOW from the crowd and the commentators are so excited! Note on the commentators: I think their audio is being played for the crowd to hear? I'm not sure of this (the audio quality could just be off) but if its true that will be another quirk of this wrestling Kingdom.

First time we see blood in KINGDOM

Scott's reaction while realizing the match still isn't over

After a failed rear naked choke attempt by Scott, Matsui slips out the backdoor and mounts from Scott's back, landing huge punches. Matsui has now turned it into another rear choke but Scott gets the ropes and is down to only 2 points! Back standing we see Matsui hit a very well controlled double leg takedown, lifting Scott right off his feet. Matsui is trying to get a leg lock submission now but Scott turns it into a SHOOT STYLE SHARPSHOOTER! WOW this is a great bout, and just as I am wowed Matsui gets his own lock on and Scott is forced to the ropes. He's down to one point at this point! They hit the ground once more and Scott snatches a heel and forces Matsui to the ropes.

Belly to Belly!

Both guys are very tired from this lightening pace and its just adding to the shoot feel of this bout (but maybe its really real?). AND OUT OF NOWHERE Scott gets the arm bar for the win! Both men embrace after the best bout so far in Kingdom. We get the usual aftermatch interviews and Scott is talking it how much he likes these MMA gloves and how dangerous this style of fighting is. Billy Scott then drops the name of his trainer Billy Robinson who also trained many of the dudes of UWFi and Kingdom. Billy Scott has a great personality and I look forward to his future matches. Matsui is in high spirits but is way fucked up lol.

Excitement...

Defeat...

OH NO Here comes the big man Nikolai Gordeau with a pre-fight interview! He talks about his ground skills getting better and he also talks up KEINICHI YAMAMOTO, his speedy opponent. “If I have to end it on the ground, I'll do my stuff” says Gordeau ominously (he also has a very anxious, ominous entrance theme!). Let's not dilly dally any longer because I think this will be, at least, interesting!

(Something I noticed right from the get go with Yamamoto, and all of the other UWFi/Kingdom dudes, is that they are jacked as hell. This is not to say that the other shoot-style promotions didn't had juiced up huge dudes (RINGS had the wonderful Dick Vrij of course), but these KINGDOM guys are like WWE built.)

Nikolai is back to his gi pants and kickpad ways

Right out the gate we get WILD kicking from Gordeau until Yamamoto cliches up (Gordeau is already breaking the rules by holding the ropes while pushed up against them). They clinch for sometime before they break and Yamamoto lands a nice counter punch to Gordeau's completely missed cool karate kicks. Yamamoto is really out controlling Gordeau with his superior technique, always grabbing Gordeau's wrists and shutting down his offense. THEN BAM Yamamoto pulls Gordeau down and taps him out with a big ankle lock! That was much quicker than I expected. Keinichi Yamamoto is quite enthused at his win and Gordeau seems quite sad while he laments about how fast Yamamoto was. He even apologizes and promises to do better next time (don't feel bad man, its ok ;__; ).

Don't cry man!

ALRIGHT the next match is the mighty Yuhi Sano (another big buff dude) against this mysterious American guy named Mark Hall. In his pre-fight interview he has an absolutely terrible attitude and even moans about having to do an interview. “I just go out there and BANG man, what happens happens!” “Too many rules for me... I think they are doing me a favor.. We'll see what happens. Don't know and don't care. I really don't have time for any more talk right now.” This guy seems like a total jerk and I really hope Sano will put the smackdown on him. Sano on the other hand seems like a pretty cool dude and is very confident for this match!

He literally just complains a bunch

Big Dude Sano

OK so here's a weird thing: neither guy is wearing the MMA gloves. Perhaps this match has a different rule set? Maybe it was at the request of the complaining Hall? I'm not sure but one thing I am sure of is that Yuhi Sano has a very nice intro theme, complete with some nice bass and sax. They are kicking but seemingly keeping their hands open so maybe full punching is not allowed here since there are no gloves? I remain unsure. So far there has been no real contact made in a very tepid showing. Hall throws a wild spinning kick but nothing lands. Sano brings Hall down by catching a kick and Sano is now in Hall's guard. They are grappling but not much progressed has been made, I think the ref might demand action soon. Sano is really working to get out of the guard, WOAH OK Hall is hitting Sano in the head from the ground while on his back but it seemed like head punching wasn't allowed earlier? The rules here remain mysterious!

No Gloves!

Sano is standing now in Hall's guard and is punching his stomach as we hear Hall's coach screaming out orders. Maybe this is a real fight after all! Sano out of nowhere grabs a leg lock for the win (couldn't see though because the ref was in the way!). Yuhi Sano does a back flip to a huge crowd reaction as the rockin' KINGDOM theme plays. They hug after the bout and head to the back. Hall says he'll be back and will be more prepared, but he honestly seems to be begging for another fight. Real weird thing all around!

RIP

Yuhi Sano's reaction to his big win over Mark Hall

HEY its the big dawg Nobuhiko Takada chatting for a good while with the commentator of KINGDOM about what I can only assume are important updates on his injury (his shoulder was completely taped up at his exhibition match at Birth Step 1) and this great little promotion he's got going here. Another thing to note: the KINGDOM tracksuits are great and on both of these shows Takada has insisted on wearing them.

WE CUT BACKSTAGE and what is this!? ITS THE BIG CHICKEN HIMSELF Naoya Ogawa! Hated by many, loved by me, Ogawa is a favorite of mine who unfortunately has been slandered in the revisionist history thesis of “Inokiism killed NJPW” that has become popular these days (it is a thesis based in pure conjecture and really lacks any material analysis of economics, cultural trends, capitalism, etc.). Short story: I think people should seek out Ogawa's ventures in pro-wrestling as they range from wacky off-beat comedy to huge stadium-popping fights. WAIT now Antonio Inoki himself is here! Inoki and Takada shake hands in the locker room. Since everyone is suited up here, I can only imagine what sort of agreement is being made but it seems serious. Ogawa and Takada then shake hands to the excitement of the press! Ogawa never fought in Kingdom, so maybe this was an aborted attempt at Inoki testing the Shoot-style waters. Later in 1998, Inoki himself would found the Universal Fighting-Arts Organization aka UFO (which I will also be covering on this blog) where Naoya Ogawa, Tiger Mask 4, Gerard Gordeau, Don Drye, Kazunari Murakami, and others would battle in a similar worked MMA style to that of Kingdom.

[Fun fact: Gerard Gordeau and Tiger Mask 4 were in Ogawa's corner representing Team UFO in the famous incident where he shot on Shinya Hashimoto which lead to a massive brawl in-ring. This invasion angle is often not mentioned in contemporary discussions of the incident. Inoki had created a worked MMA style promotion (a womb for the Inokiism style) so that it could invade NJPW. This was the real beginning of the Inokiism era of NJPW.]

But let's not linger as we have Yoshihiro Takayama going up against Masahito Kakihara! Kakihara was a thrill in Birth Step 1 but Takayama was less than spectacular so hopefully this will balance out at least. Takayama is giving a backstage interview in a great UWF sweatshirt and an even better KINGDOM branded trucker cap. This dude is cool as a cucumber but I think everyone knows that at this point. Kaki gives a nice little interview as well. He comes out to the ring in his great blue and green while the UWF theme blares.

Cool as a cucumber

Unfortunate news everyone, this bout is uh... not good. Much of this match is spent with Takayama riding Kakihara's back and then Kakihara sitting in Takayama's guard. The ref demands action at multiple points in the bout as well. There is one entertaining moment where Takayama lifts up Kakihara from back guard but Kakihara catches a leg. Takayama forces the rope break and as we stand up we have short (and sloppy) striking exchange that leads to a choke being applied by Takayama for the win! That last section perked me up but most of the match was quite dull. Sadly, Kakihara loses again.

WE ARRIVE at the final bout between Kazushi Sakuraba, friend of all, and the personally dreaded Yoji Anjo! I'm too harsh on Anjo, he has some great matches in this era of shoot, but I dislike his whole thing... if that makes sense. OK WAIT Anjo had the KINGDOM logo shaved into the back of his head, thats a fucking power move. Maybe he's beginning to win me over but we'll see if that ever transpires. Sakuraba has a nice little interview that seems pleasant but I am not sure what was said.

Yoji Anjo just having a big laugh

I am really excited for this one and the crowd is as well! They are chanting both fighters names at the beginning and Anjo makes this silly face at the crowd. I wonder if he knows he will be overcome as ace of Kingdom by the ultimate shooter? Very fun little ground sequence to begin and we get a standing stare off to the crowds bemusement.. Now we are up striking and Anjo is throwing big kicks, but Saku is able to dodge a big right hook and take him down. Anjo tries to roll Saku over but Saku maintains control of the arm and holds on. They are back up and Saku has Anjo in the corner clinch. Saku is trying to get that arm with all his might and finally manages an arm bar but Anjo slips out into top control on the ground. This bout is great so far with both guys being very active both standing and on the ground. Sakuraba is beginning to crank a Kimura but Anjo gets to the ropes.

Back to standing, Anjo hits big leg kick. They clinch and return to the corner, but Anjo is able to force Saku strraight down (that kingdom logo on the back on his head is sick I cant lie). WAIT Anjo gets a big heel lock in but Saku gets up and somehow makes it onto the top of Anjo. The pace of this ground work is fast, and really puts what occurred in the Takayama vs Kakihara match to shame. LOL Anjo accidentally committed an ESCAPE by holding onto the ropes while on the ground so he's has lost 2 points now. Back to standing Saku attempts a takedown but Anjo stops it and slaps on a choke. Sakuraba fights out and gets a rope break and the crowd seems pretty hyped. They are in the corner again and Sakuraba tries to suplex Anjo but fails and is put in a front facelock. It gets broken up in the ropes and the ref separates them. BOOM gnarly strikes from Yoji Anjo which Sakuraba attempts to alleviate by clinching but in the process get hits so hard he loses a point due to knockdown. OK back up and WTF Saku hits the FUCKING biggest crustiest German Suplex on Anjo's neck. Sorry that one really just blew me away, the crowd shrieked as this move occurred. Saku grabs an arm but Anjo rolls out and locks in a kneebar FOR THE WIN.

THE FINAL SEQUENCE:

HOLY MOLY I do not think that was as good overall as the Billy Scott and Matsui bout, but that Anjo strike sequence followed up by an incredibly high angle, high energy German Suplex from Sakuraba capped off the show so well.

Before we leave the Yoyogi Gymnasium after this Birth Step 2 ends, Nobuhiko Takada has a few words with the commentator. I assume its about the next event and whatever occurred with Inoki and Ogawa earlier. Calm yet anxious music plays us out as we are shown recaps of the bouts and are shown some shots of the KINGDOM gym (ya know cuz its shoot-style). Birth Step 2 has left us with some answers but even more questions. We now know that the scary dude Nikolai Gordeau is actually a big softy who just wants to put a good fight, a fact that alluded me during the first Birth Step. Billy Scott kicks ass and his continued presence in Takada's KINGDOM will be well earned. Anjo still annoys me but I have come around to him. However, what happened there with Takada and Ogawa? What kind of deal was struck? What did Inoki have planned?

Maybe we will have more answers to these questions when we meet again for the final step of KINGDOM's birth: BIRTH STEP 3 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium! See ya there!

Welcome to the Kingdom of Shoot: BIRTH STEP 1 5/4/1997

KINGDOM PRO-WRESTLING: BIRTH STEP 1

Yoyogi National Gym, Tokyo, Japan

5/4/1997 3,800 in Attendance

Welcome to KINGDOM of SHOOT, an exploration of the short-lived Japanese shoot-style pro wrestling promotion KINGDOM Pro-Wrestling that ran shows from 1997 till 1998! We will be taking a look at all of their shows (well, the ones I can obtain) and will be making numerous shoot-style and MMA detours along the way. [Heads up: I am by no means a fight sport expert. While I have an extensive knowledge of pro wrestling and a deep appreciation of MMA, this blog wont be as articulate in regards to the nomenclature of certain particular holds and martial art techniques as others are (hi RINGS blog guy). I also am going to assume that since you are reading this little and very particular blog that you have some working knowledge of the history of shoot-style.]

We begin our adventure shortly after the collapse of the “Most Pro-Wrestling of all the Shoot Promotions yet Most Adamant about its Realness”, the UWF International. An ill-fated invasion of NJPW and WAR, the loss of Lou Thesz's endorsement and the title he supplied, combined with being incredibly owned by the Press and MMA fighters like Gracie Family, completely demolished Nobuhiko Takada's UWFi. Out of these ashes emerged KINGDOM Professional Wrestling, a stop-gap venture between UWFi and Takada's future creation of PRIDE.

Will this be any good? Will Yoji Anjo still be the worst? How “real” will this fake fighting company be? Let us stop gabbing and begin with BIRTH STEP 1 from the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan with a crowd of 3,800!

Like any reputable shoot-style promotion we start this tape with interviews of all the major dudes in the company and a run down of the roster (Kanehara is wearing a UWF shirt LOL). Before we get to the start of the show, a image comes on the screen proclaiming WE ARE KINGDOM and LET'S GET DOWN DO IT and I have to agree!

There is a nice parade for all the fighters in this smokey gymnasium. It almost feels like one of those good episodes of WWF RAW from the late 90s. I just absolutely love the post-pyro smokey arena thing! And let me tell you these guys are rocking very very nice KINGDOM branded track jackets that Takada must have ordered on extremely short notice. After everyone gets in the ring, we witness a few promos from the big stars of the promotion. Yoji Anjo gets the mic to a big applause which I do not understand, he remains extremely goofy in my eyes. Takada then talks to the crowd to a huge applause, and he continues to be a handsome dude. (then they start throwing balls out to the crowd as the KINGDOM theme plays and everyone is LOVING it but I dont really get it)

They explain the rules on this next part but there are like 6 slides of paragraphs of Japanese text so I have zero clue. Ok wait they are doing a live demo of the rules. Ref can stop the fight at tap out, KO, or TKO. You can punch someone in the head while they are laying flat on the ground but if they arch their back you cant strike the head??? ok thats weird but we are in KINGDOM so I wont argue. There are knockdowns and rope breaks like most other shoot promotions but it comes from the same pool of points. If you run out of points you lose.

Elbows are allowed I think? Thats not usual for jMMA but its allowed here in this half shoot half work promotion. There are rounds and if it goes to decision then who ever has the most points remaining wins. If you have the same amount of points remaining its a draw. Takada has really made these rules strange but this is his KINGDOM and the company folded in 1998 so I cant tell him its a bit much.

OK heres the first match and its between BIG BOY Hiromitsu Kanehara vs Keinichi Yamamoto! This should be a wild one. I have seen Kanehara in the UWFi vs NJPW stuff and I really dug his style. Both enter the ring wearing black shoes, black kick pads, black padded mma gloves, and black small trunks. Oh I forgot a rule, fighters can wear whatever they want but the black MMA gloves are required (I found this out on a nice little russian website dedicated to shoot style). Judging by their outfits and color schemes Im gonna say this promotion is gonna have a pretty no nonsense style. With the smokey arena and more aggressive personas, this is much more pit fight than something like RINGS which is quite high-taste and very graceful.

But who needs grace when these two guys go at it. One more rule: no weight classes so we see that Kanehara here is clearly way bigger than Yamamoto. Immediate grappling and some fun exchanges with a little leg lock sequence. Kanehara has kick pads that say UWF on the side, what a cool dude. And he hits a huge suplex on yamamoto. This weird no punching to the head while bridged thing has already come up once or twice. I think this will be an interesting aspect of KINGDOM that will continue to make the ground exchanges unique.

The striking is notably stiff, lots of closed fist boxing and knees. Both of these guys are clearly pro wrestlers throwing pro wrestling haymaker strikes. After a stand up sequence its back on the ground. We have our first escape from Yamamoto (You have 5 points btw). These fairly shoot punches while on the ground in a worked fight environment makes these ground sections quite PRIDE like. Kanehara loses a point on an escape and we are back to a fairly standard ground exchange thats back and forth until Kanehara locks in the big choke from the back for a win!

The crowd enjoyed that match! It wasn't the best but it was a good starter. Both fighters hug after but Yamamoto is really upset at the loss it seems. Kanehara grabs the mic at the end to say a few words and the crowd loves it! (Fun fact: Kanehara was the last ace of RINGS after KINGDOM collapsed!)

ALL RIGHT now we are onto a kickboxing match which I think is possibly a shoot. I am not particularly interested in this because this isn't pro wrestling or mma, but I can appreciate it. This match between Bovy Chowaikung and Hiroyuki Doi goes a full FIVE rounds to a draw. I've never understood these bits on shoot-style shows since I'm here for shoot-style and not, well, kickboxing. But I should stop complaining because next is Nikolai Gordeau against Shunsuke Matsui!

Shunsuke Matsui, also known as Daijiro Matsui, was in UWFI, Kingdom, Battlarts, IGF, even some Zero 1. The guy is a shoot-style journeymen and I respect that a lot since he was mostly doing it after most stopped caring, but I care and thats all that matters in the end really. His opponent is Nikolai Gordeau, who I can't find much info about other than he was on some late era UWFi shows, but rest assured that he looks very intimidating in his gi-pants (as someone who did some karate in his youth, gi pants are great and allow for great kicking related fun). Gordeau insists he has improved (which makes me worried about his abilities here in the shoot-style world) and he also says this exact statement “I don't care generally uhhhh what the rules are, as long as I can live with it. If there rules I cannot cope with it, uhhhh I wont do it.” At least he's honest... but this man is worrisome.

Oh god this guy definitely is a Gordeau...

OK to the match at hand: Nikolai Gordeau (god is he related to Gerard Gordeau the noted terrible bad dude who blinded a fighter in Vale Tudo Japan) is out the gate not very good but I enjoy his tattoos and gi pants greatly. OH NO Gordeau is wearing kickpads under his gi-pants while barefoot what is this. Matsui takes him down quickly after taking a few shots. In side control he gets some nice digs into Gordeau who I just know really deserves to get those short elbow shots. Something I have already noticed here is that while trying to be heavier and more MMA like, there is some pretty explicit heel and face work occurring here that does justify KINGDOMS continued use of the phrase pro-wrestling. Matsui gains mount and starts raining blows, he's trying to end this early. It goes back to standing and Gordeau gets a knockdown with a kind of sloppy kick but it looked fairly shoot so I appreciate it nonetheless. Every time it hits the ground Matsui really dominates.

Gordeau is wearing gi pants with kickpads underneath

After a break its back up and Gordeau manages to stuff a takedown and maintain some head control but Matsui is really pushing to get out. Matsui gets separation but eats a big kick, Gordeau then gets head control and rolls into a neck crank. Matsui is out now but he's being forced down, but hes managed to get an armbar that forces Gordeau to the ropes. Any time this gets to the feet Gordeau really goes in and hes able to knockdown Matsui once more then forces a rope break through sheer striking. Immediately after he KOs Matsui with a big head kick then he accidentally sits right on Matsui! Gordeau manages to win this with Karate coolness and gi-pants. This match was really short, not even hitting the second minute mark. Good news! WE HAVE CONFIRMATION that Nikolai is indeed related to Gerard Gordeau, as we see him in Nikolai's corner as the match comes to an end. Matsui collapses in a hallway and a medic sprays him with something that I assume is helping his wounds.

AND HERES THE STAR OF THE SHOW (and all of our hearts) Kazushi Sakuraba! He is happy in his interview and seems to be very positive! What a cool dude I hope he wins forever (seriously I honestly cant watch MMA bouts where I know Sakuraba loses its just too sad). He's battling Yuhi Sano (also known as Naoki Sano and Takuma Sano) who seems pretty cool as well. Sano is also a shoot journeymen, going from the PWFG to UWFi then on to Kingdom and Battlarts before sticking in NOAH for most of the 2000s (this is very respectable).

Doesn't this just make ya smile!!

You can tell from the beginning that this is gonna be a very strong bout. Sano starting early with BIG body kicks including a nice spinning one similar to Tiger Mask's kick, especially in his 90s return to shoot-style (remember in the introduction I mentioned we were gonna go on a few detours, well this ones coming up soon when we take a peek at the short-lived UFO promotion). Sakuraba loses a point as he is knocked down in the corner. It goes to the ground as Sano controls from the top before getting all tied up with Saku as they battle for leg locks. Saku is really going after the ankle but is also always looking for an arm bar when he can snatch it. This is very active and back-and-forth, a lot more fluid than what we have seen so far tonight. Saku is trying to grab armbars wherever and whenever he can. Very little in the way of ground and pound is occurring so far, this has been mostly grappling based.

A short sequence in the clinch quickly returns to the ground with initial control by Sano but Saku is back to his old “I'm putting you in a kimura dude sorry” antics. Sano has had ENOUGH, and as he breaks free and maintains top control in Saku's guard, lifts Saku up for a massive slam to a huge WOW from the crowd. I am convinced that going through stuff like this is what prepared Saku for his much later match with Rampage Jackson in PRIDE where he weathered a storm of slams to get the eventual win.

Sano has full mount and begins dropping bombs and goes for the arm, leading to a big rope break. As they stand back up, they both start throwing big hooks back and forth! Saku hits the ground and he only has 2 of his 5 points remaining!! However as they return to standing, Saku is able to weather the storm and gain control of Sano's back which is turned into a massive german suplex to the crowd's delight! This really is some pro-wrestling. He goes for a choke but Sano gets the rope break for his first loss of points. The knees that Saku is absorbing are huge and are fairly legit, this definitely is not a real shoot but it seems pretty close by pro-wrestling standards. After knees we are back on the ground but after a failed armbar by Sano, Saku is able to get out and crank the ankle for the tap out win!! This was a fantastic match, the sheer intensity of the striking and ground game combined with big slams exemplifies what I think will become KINGDOM's style as Saku emerges as the real ace of the promotion (but that is farther down the line). Sakuraba's right eye is fairly closed and bruised in the after match interview leading me to believe that this really was a shoot pro-wrestling match (if that makes sense, the lines here are totally blurred by Kingdom's pro-wrestling stylings).

This German Suplex was incredible

Next up we have a short EXHIBITION match between Certified Handsome Dude® Nobuhiko Takada, the man behind this quickly organized KINGDOM, and Ryushi Kimiyama. Takada is being interviewed beforehand and these Kingdom tracksuits are so sick like incredibly sick. Takada comes out in a KINGDOM tshirt that is great (if anyone has one or knows where to get one plz let me know) and white shorts. Kimiyama is a trainee I think and is also wearing the promotions tshirt and a black singlet underneath. This thing is quick, only lasting about 5 minutes. They go through some different sequences in different positions, almost to show what to expect from these matches. This “no punching till someone is fully mounted” rule is emphasized on the ground as Takada is in mount as the trainee works to his side to stop them. This is very light, a sparring sessions between a trainer and trainee. Its nice to see Takada not being rough, there is a friendly demeanor between the two and I think it gives insights to how Takada is in a gym with others. As the bout ends, Takada and the trainee throw their shirst into the crowd to the audible enjoyment of the fans. Some nice stuff but its an exhibition so its just some fun for the crowd, and it was fun! (one interesting note: next to this young trainee you can see absolutely how thick and muscular Takada is, the guy looks tough as hell)

Takada is lookin' real jacked, baby!

In this second to last match, Yoshihiro Takayama is coming up against Caribou Mandingo (wow thats a name and a half). We start off with an interview with this Caribou guy who says he's Caribbean, that hes the champion (flashing a title from I dont know where), and says he is going to “kill (?!) Japan people tonight.” I do not care for this guy but maybe Caribou is secretly an amazing heel. A quick internet search for his name brings up this one event and only that so Caribou remains a mystery!

He is the champion of the Caribbean!

Takayama, on the other hand, needs no introduction: an amazing pro wrestler, entertaining MMA fighter, and one time pop star with Yoji Anjo. He is a personal favorite of mine, and his recent traumatic spine injury was incredibly upsetting for everyone. But lets leave that sadness behind for a bit so we can experience some 1997 era Takayama. While being interviewed he wears a zip up sweater thats ALLLLLL the way zipped up which just brings a smile to my face. This Takayama has black hair and just seems like a huge badass. He comes to the ring in a fucking ridiculous massive trench coat, the man looks like a movie villain.

Zipped all the way up! 

Caribou is wearing boxing pants and Takayama is wearing simple small black trunks. I quickly notice that these dudes are mostly boxing at the beginning and Takayama is already beginning to rock the dad bod he would later all endear us with. Caribou is really green at this style and I thinkkkkk pretty much only knows strikes. OK hes poppin off kicks now so maybe hes a karate guy, Caribou remains a mystery. After some boring clinching, Takayama is able to hit Caribou with a shoot-styled belly to belly, but its quickly back up to the feet. This ones a bit of a dud unfortunately. The ref even at one point demands ACTION and I would agree cuz this is boring. We get a second call to ACTION from the ref and Caribou is reminded of the rules multiple times. Takayama is telling Caribou to bring it one but his strikes to Takyama's head are weak and poorly done. Finally Takayama hits the ground for his first loss of points. LOL fucking Takayama then out of nowhere hits Caribou with a huge leg trap suplex over his head and locks in an ankle lock for the win! That sucked very badly but its great that Takayama beat the man who said he would kill Japanese people.

Good Guy Kakihara :)

ON TO OUR LAST BOUT! The absolute good guy Masahito Kakihara is going up against Yoji Anjo! As Kakihara is interviewed, they blare the absolutely amazing UWF theme and Kakihara is wearing a very nice suit. He walks to the ring to a huge applaud while wearing a great green and blue jacket. 

Anjo is being interviewed and I really just cant take the guy seriously. He is such a goofy guy which is compounded by the fact that the literal concept of MMA wrecked all of his (little) credibility. The length of this interview and his speech at the beginning indicate that he, initially, is the big dawg of this KINGDOM's yard (let us pray that this ends soon so we can get to the era of Sakuraba as the big dawg). Anjo comes out in his usual black singlet thing but this time he has a golden scarf wrapped around his head.

Look at this smug motherfucker

This match starts intensely! Both are trading blows and being incredibly aggressive but Kakihara brings it to the ground with a quick single leg. They trade positions until Anjo forces their way to top control before Kakihara gets up to his feet. Anjo keeps looking for that mount so he can rain bombs (because he has no skill compared to most of these fighters!). Kakihara reverses an armbar attempt and is able to lock in a rear naked choke but its somehow unsuccessful as the ref demands ACTION which doesn't make any sense because submissions are occurring. They get back to their feet and as Anjo throws a kick it is caught by Kakihara who blasts Anjo with a huge (and I think shoot) straight left to the head for a knockdown. However, as Kakihara tries a huge flippy kick, he totally whiffs it and misses. Anjo proceeds to flop onto him and ground and pound.

This refs constant demand of ACTION is beginning to grate on me a bit. Sometimes someone is working a submission or fighting for dominant position, but its interrupted by this impatient ref. They have both lost 2 points by this point. A short standup exchange onto the ground then OUT OF NOWHERE Anjo gets the win with a sneaky armbar!! Despite Kakihara's anger at losing, both men shake hands and begin bro-ing out (this is the best way I could describe it). So despite the loss, at least Kakihara remains in good spirits with his UWFi brethren!

At least Yoji Anjo got wrecked by this left straight punch

That's the end for this first BIRTH STEP of KINGDOM Pro-Wrestling! An overall interesting show that mixes worked pro-wrestling and worked MMA styles well with strong presentation and an active crowd. That kickboxing match and the Takayama vs Caribou bout were definitely the worst on the card with the former being just boring and the later being downright bad! But lets not dwell on the negatives as we got to see young Kakihara, Sakuraba, and Takayama who are all legends in their own right. The show ends with a title card that announces We are KINGDOM, and I am incredibly excited for our next journey into BIRTH STEP 2!