KINGDOM: Ambition Kingdom vs. Kenkaya Abbott Gundan 12/14/1997

KINGDOM: Ambition

Kingdom vs. Kenkaya Abbott Gundan(Abbott Fighting Army)

Yoyogi National Gym, Tokyo, Japan

12/14/1997 3.800 in Attendance

Hello! KINGDOM Pro-Wrestling is back and its ready to confront Tank Abbott's army of UFC goons in preparation for their upcoming showdown in the octagon at UFC 15.5: Ultimate Japan! We open this event with some ethereal tunes and images of the fighters as we see the main tagline of this KINGDOM show... AMBITION.

We are back at the Yoyogi National Gym in Tokyo, Japan where the first KINGDOM fights were held just a few months earlier in the year. Despite being so close to the demise of this promotion, this show sure does not feel like something at the end of the line. The crowd seems excited and eager, and all the fighters look to be in high spirits. We get the standard fighter parade set to the thunderous theme of KINGDOM and oh my god MARK HALL has returned to the hallowed halls of KINGDOM to hopefully once again “go out there and bang, man.”

HOLD ON, there is commentary on this show which we haven't heard for some time and look who is here looking as handsome as ever: Nobuhiko Takada! The ruler of this land of KINGDOM, he has been vacant for uhhhh numerous shows at this point but he has chosen to grace us with his presence here! It is good to have him back especially as KINGDOM is set to go head to head with Tank Abbott's army of vicious MMA fighters from the US. Oh, there is also a nice exhibition of the rules from the refs to start this event off. I hope the foreign fighters pay attention because these rules have been explained nearly every show and yet they almost always comment on not understanding the rules.

PUNCH!!!

NO PUNCH!!!

ITS OUR FIRST BOUT OF THE NIGHT! Nicholas Starks is going up against our young trainee Minoru Toyonaga and I gotta say I am super excited about this one. Starks says the rules here are much safer and competitive than the No Holds Barred rules he is used to, so we have our first reference to the rules tonight (at least this one was positive!). Minoru Toyonga cuts a nice young guy promo with a nice strummy guitar diddly for his entrance music.

We start out with a little bit of striking back and forth, Toyonaga seeming quite eager this fight. Starks is the first to score a take down with a throw from the guillotine, but is able to wrestle into top control from the guard. Starks, being a sambo practitioner, goes for a heel lock forcing Toyonaga to the ropes. Starks starts landing some strikes in the corner and Toyonaga shoots in, but Starks controls and stuffs the takedown. Starks is looking for another leg lock but Toyonaga grabs an ankle, however he loses it and has to spend another point grabbing the rope to get out of the hold. Starks lands a hook and gets another trip, his sambo skills are very apparent in this fight but Toyonaga is holding his own here.

Back up, Toyonaga is able to take Starks' back and attempts a german suplex! Oh no Starks slips out and take Toyonaga's back for a choke attempt but Toyonaga gets a foot on a rope so he is down to only two points. Toyonaga shoots in, locks up, and scores with a nice trip on Starks. He is able to raise up in Starks' guard in an attempt to pass but Starks counters with multiple submission attempts until Toyonaga almost gets a cross armbar of his own! Starks lifts up Toyonaga and drops him on his head to break up the lock and sits back to work for a leg lock, but Toyonaga is savvy enough to get to half guard before the ref stands them up for inaction. Toyonaga is really being allowed to shine here in this opening match in a spot that Shunsuke Matsui would usually occupy on the card earlier in the life of KINGDOM.

Starks is comfortable in pulling guard when he sprawls because he uses his legs and hips to keep Toyonaga back while also probing for limbs to crank. Toyonaga sits back looking for a heel hook but Starks is able to grab one as well. OH! I guess time is up and Nicholas Starks wins on a point decision. Maybe that was a shorter bout because it was a rookie or some kind of opener match? IDK but that was good, and Minoru Toyonaga really looks great here (after looking at my screencaps this match was only scheduled for 10 minutes). Before we go on to the next fight however, Nicholas Starks comments on how he is STILL getting used to the rules like the rope break despite the fact he has been here on numerous occasions lmao.

OUR NEXT FIGHT is Yoshihiro Takayama squaring off with personal favorite of mine Yuhi Sano! Knowing the track record of Sano after his tournament win, I have a feeling he is gonna be in for a loss here but we shall see!

Sano is feeling out the range here early but Takayama pushes him into the corner. Sano is able to escape without eating any knees but you know they are coming at some point because... well, this is a Takayama match. Oh wait there they are! See, I knew they would show up sooner or later. This one so far is fine, but its exactly what you imagine a second fight on the card with '97 Takayama would be like. Sano is able to avoid a kimura and gains side control from the top but transfers over to full mount. Woah, Takayama is able to roll Sano over and get top mount and begins working an ankle lock which forces Sano to go for a rope break and gets them back up. WHOOPS Sano's spinning body kick is countered into a big german suplex then Yoshihiro Takayama wins with a scissors lock on Yuhi Sano's head after losing the grip on an arm lock! That last sequence was pretty nifty, and I'm glad to see Sano not upset over the loss (probably because he knows the company is going under soon tbh).

NEXT UP we have the venerable Masahito Kakihara going up against Yoji Anjo who is fighting in the UFC in just a few days!

After some feeling out and a clash of kicks, Kakihara shoots in for a single leg but Anjo is able regain control and use a swift transition from a scissors on Kaki's arm to take his back. I think I see Anjo smiling/grimacing as he has a facelock on Kaki here. They are only back up for a second before Anjo throws a head kick that clips Kakihara and drops him down. Yikes! Anjo has his knee right on Kakihara's face and now gets an armbar on that forces Kakihara to the ropes. Back up, Kakihara lands a nice combo of strikes on Anio. Yoji Anjo catches Masahito Kakihara's kick and locks in a heel hook FOR THE WIN. That was a pretty quick bout and a strong win over Kakihara, I can assume this was done to make Anjo look strong going into UFC 15.5!

ITS OUR FIRST NEW MMA FOREIGN DUDE: LARRY PARKER. Oh my god he is already commenting on the rules and how he now has a grasp of... the rules. He finished his MMA career in 2001 with a record of 13-6-1 which included one appearance at PRIDE 7 where he lost to Akira Shoji by decision! AW YEAH our great friend Billy Scott is here and he is about to lay it down. I gotta say I am loving this green beanie that Scott has been wearing as of late during the winter in Japan, it is a great look!

This outfit SCREAMS 90s amateur wrestling (its so sikk)

Parker definitely has some size and weight on Scott here which is apparent after he brings Scott down after a loud leg kick. Parker has Scott's back but seems confused by the “no punching unless in full mount from the flat back or stomach” rule, but he gets in a sick punch on Scott nonetheless. He is now trying for a leg lock but Scott seems quiet calm and grabs Parker's ankle. WOAH Billy Scott wins as Larry Parker doesn't know to grab the rope! That went way quicker than I expected but that was sick. I am not sure if that was a shoot, but it had both the intense periods of action (Billy getting punched in the head) plus the oddly dead sections of a real shoot bout. Either way, Billy Scott is sikk as fuck and has quickly become one of my favorite foreign wrestlers in Japan from this era. Also, lmaoooo Parker is talking about how he should have grabbed the rope and that he'll have to think about these rules harder. HOW HARD ARE THESE KINGDOM RULES TO UNDERSTAND??

A big happy KINGDOM family 

Dude literally was like "Gotta get those rules in my head" lmaoo

ITS OUR FRIEND Mark Hall! He is a lot more humble this time (since Sano slapped him around), and makes sure to mention how the rules have been clarified to him which is good I guess. Hall is sort of slurring his words in a weird way while wearing a shirt with his own face on the back so he again does not disappoint. I would like to point out that this dude's website is amazing and he has an INCREDIBLE write up on the time he tried to fight Ken Shamrock in Vegas over some petty shit. It is an amazing piece of old mma history and is just a delight to read. His opponent will be Keinichi Yamamoto, who after a strong victory on the Kyushu tour cried tears of fighting joy. I personally hope he destroys Hall!

Yamamoto going into battle!

Right out of the gate they are striking, Yamamoto is stronger and backs Hall into the ropes for a nice double leg takedown. Yamamoto is looking for an ankle or leg lock on Hall, constantly changing his grip on Hall's leg as Hall tries to escape. YES! DOUBLE ARM BAR ATTEMPT FROM YAMAMOTO! That is so utterly sick. Hall stands up after and gets Yamamoto to meet him there, but Hall is taken down very quickly. Hall is showing some nice wrestling skills by stacking up and scrambling around Yamamoto before trying to sink in a rear naked choke. Keinichi Yamamoto slips out of the choke and grabs an ankle lock FOR THE WIN over Mark Hall! 

Fucked his ankle right up

Mark Hall got his ankle cranked to shit and was denied the right to just go out and bang so HE RAGES BACKSTAGE, but then he calmly explains that he really enjoys the KINGDOM style of fighting. Mark Hall is a complicated man, but that is why we love him so!

Oh my god its COZY POST-FIGHT YOJI ANJO on commentary! This is a moment I really wish I knew Japanese because I am sure our venerable commander Anjo is talking so much smack about Tank Abbott's army of knuckleheads.

IT'S HIROMITSU KANEHARA taking on Eddie Ruiz (stylized here as EDDIE LOWIS) and its the first in our DOUBLE MAIN EVENT. “The rules are different, gloves are different... you make your own breaks!” “Basically... I'm gonna take it one second at a time.” Oh goodness, this guy is gonna get eaten up by Kanehara because he's much smaller and I don't think has a clue going into this one. Ruiz has a 1-1 record in MMA and I found a video of his losing a match at ADCC so that's what I am going on. Oh hey its Tank Abbott! “My team is actually not my team.. they are my friends.” Wise words from Abbott who is also shown clapping for his friend as he goes to enter the ring. FRIENDS!

Holy moly Hiromitsu is so much bigger than Ruiz and showcases that by sprawling and completely forcing Ruiz down. Ruiz has a guillotine from the bottom but fails to either get it locked or use it to sweep. Hiromitsu Kanehara works his way up to half guard but Ruiz locks him up and they sit in that position for quite a period, but Kanehara finally is able to move to side control. He sits up looking for an armbar but then scrambles and takes Ruiz's back, but Ruiz is able to slip out and is in Kanehara's guard from the top now. WOW Kanehara is able to force Ruiz over and locks on the cross armbar for the win! That was a short bout, and Kanehara showed off his size and wrestling dominance here.

LOL Abbott is backstage and says that something sucks and then says someone was slick as shit. Ruiz in his post fight interview exclaims “If I had 3 months to train and he cut 70 pounds we would have a good fight. I saw like 3... 4 little guys... HELL... Lets go.. Ya know..” This dude is giving Mark Hall a run for his money here with promos like these, but on a serious note, this kind of reaction leads me to believe this to have been a shoot (to some degree).

The final match of our DOUBLE MAIN EVENT is Abbott Army member Paul Herrera clashing with our favorite Kazushi Sakuraba! Paul Herrera has a record of 1-1 in MMA and his one official loss is to Gary Goodridge at UFC 8 where he was caught in a crucifix and ate like 10 BIG DADDY GOODRIDGE elbows right to the head which completely shattered his orbital. “eh yea im ready... [in reference to the rues] it kinda takes away from the fight and makes it a skills match.” OK so the collegiate wrestler who got annihilated by a striker is complaining about a more grappling focused contest? Hmmmm... at least we know the wonderful KAZUSHI SAKURABA is gonna eat this guy for lunch!

He's smiling cuz he knows what he's about to do to this jabroni 

Saku looks almost bored coming out here. Herrera comes at him hard but Saku is able to score a single leg and you can see in Herrera's face how perplexed he is by Sakuraba's catch wrestling movements and attack approaches. Herrera keeps grabbing at Sakuraba's gloves and the ref has to be like “stop that please” and as that happens Kazushi Sakuraba gets a fucking ankle lock cranked way on. As Tank Abbott and Herrera's team yell for him to grab the rope, he instead taps the fuck out at 1:48. This CLEARLY was meant to go longer as Saku seems surprised and a bit disheartened by such a quick finish. It's ok though because he got THE BIG TROPHY WITH RIBBONS!

LMAOOO Tank Abbott's face as he comes backstage is hilarious. He is probably floored with how carny pro-wrestling is and also how his dudes got wrecked. This show feels so shoot but at the same time you know Takada was pulling some fast shit trying to one up these UFC goombas and I definitely approve of whatever carny approaches he deployed in that effort! OK back to Herrera backstage bitching: “HE FUCKING TOLD ME TO QUIT SO I STOPPED... and he knew he was gonna grab my ankle like that! Aye.... its a good trip everything's been good.... as long as we get the rules straight we'll be fine. I had a lot of fun.” Tank Abbott (who looks just straight up looks like a white supremacist here lmao) warns that anyone who gets involved in KINGDOM needs to have a good understanding of the rules, and that he prefers No Holds Barred. He then remarks that his game plan has not changed after seeing Yoji Anjo tonight and then mimes punching someone.

That feel when you get worked by Takada 

Since the show ended so abruptly, we get Yoji Anjo and Sakuraba hanging out on commentary after the event. I don't know what was said but it seemed like a great time with fans visibly nodding along as they sit by listening to some of the most esteemed minds in shoot style discuss the art. This is such a fun way to end a show!

That was such an interesting show and so important to the history of UFC, shoot style, and MMA broadly in Japan, but is almost never mentioned in the historical accounts of the period. It builds up well for the coming showdown against the UFC at UFC 15.5 while also sort of tying together the running story of KINGDOM: MMA fighters from abroad coming in to challenge the best of shoot style in a more MMA like environment (that sometimes is actually MMA). KINGDOM AMBITION also featured the most foreigners not understanding the rules of any show that KINGDOM has put on since its inception, and though we only have 2 more posts to go, I expect we will be hearing more about these cryptic mysterious rules in the future! (Happy New Years everyone!)