SWS/WWF SuperWrestle in Tokyo Dome

Legacy Review

SWS/WWF SuperWrestle in Tokyo Dome

December 12, 1991 from the Tokyo Dome

This is the last of the three joint SWS/WWF shows held in '91. Like the previous joint Tokyo Dome show the TV broadcast doesn't start until the 4th match, then highlights of the first three matches are shown later in the broadcast. I haven't exactly been enamored with what I've seen of SWS so far so that suits me just fine. Truth be told I'll be kind of happy to be done with these shows.

UWF Rules: Masakatsu Funaki def Jerry Flynn in 5:18- UWF means this is going to be a shoot style match. As such I'll keep it short. While they're swinging exploratory kicks at each other I'll point out that the ring setup is the same cross as the past joint shows have been, with the exception of the ring ropes being all black. That's a good look, WWF should think about keeping it. And sticking with it when they do. Give me all black ring ropes over all white any day. After a long mat wrestling sequence Flynn lands a kick to Funaki's head that gets the first count of the match. Funaki generally shows more control on the mat. Eventually Funaki stretches Flynn's arm behind his head and gets a tap out pretty much out of nowhere. Dull match, even for the style. 1/2*

 

Ultimo Dragon def Jerry Estrada in 10:15- This is the debut of Yoshihiro Asai's Ultimo Dragon character in Japan. He had wrestled as himself in SWS earlier in the year but had just debuted the Dragon character in CMLL the month before. Think that went on to work out well for him. Dragon's Mexican headdress is borderline ridiculous and he has to use his hand to keep it balanced and from falling off his entire entrance. Estrada is also an EMLL/CMLL guy working his first match in Japan. Estrada leaves all his flashy bandit gear on for the match. He tries a backdrop but Dragon lands on his feet. He follows that up by hiptossing Estrada. Backbreaker. Dragon swings a spinning heel kick that Estrada dodges. Another dodge and Estrada hits a lariato. Dragon flipping out of another move flummoxes Estrada again. Fancy lucha sequence and Dragon does a flying headscissors to a nice gasp from the crowd. This is a heavily papered show so I don't know how many true wrestling fans they've got in there tonight. Dragon armdrag into an armbar to let things settle in. Monkey flip from Dragon. Estrada blocks another one, but placing Dragon on the ropes only allows him to knee Estrada in the back of the head. I think Dragon tries to do the handstand in the corner but he loses his balance and tumbles out to the floor. He takes a minute to make sure everything is still attached before getting back in the ring to continue. Ugly lariato from Estrada. More speed and Dragon gets another flying headscissors. He monkey flips Estrada over the top to the floor! Dive tease but Dragon flips into the middle of the ring instead. Estrada is pissed. Back in he goes into some slow arm work. Dragon gets a leg takedown and goes into some leg work. More speed and they do some roll up counters that send Estrada to the floor again. Dragon springboard corkscrew to the floor! Back in Dragon turns his back and Estrada shotgun dropkicks him in the back to send him to the floor. Estrada cannonball off the apron. Apron suplex fight. Dragon suplexes Estrada out of the ring to the floor! ASAI MOONSAULT! THEY BOTH GO OVER THE BARRICADE INTO COMMENTARY! I don't know if that was planned but it was fantastic. Small reset in the ring. Both charge and midring collision! Dragon tries a victory roll. Estrada blocks it and rolls Dragon up. Dragon reverses that for 2. Estrada dodges a springboard moonsault and Dragon hurts his knee on the landing. Estrada follows up with....an elbow drop to the back. Ugh. Then he hooks Dragon up for a surfboard. That he can only hold for about half a second. Dragon dodges a senton off the top rope and covers for 2. Estrada blocks a hurricanrana into a powerbomb for 2. Dragon German suplex for 2. Another one. He rolls over into a modified Euro clutch, and that gets the pin! Spotty McSpotfest. The high spots mostly hit but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone and the outcome was never in doubt. **1/4

 

"The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and Ashura Hara def Haku and Yoshiaki Yatsu in 16:57- Both teams come out to the SWS representatives' music. I do like the red corner/blue corner lighting on the separate entrance platforms. After intros we have a pretty big clip to Hara chopping the hell out of Haku. I think the first 5 minutes or so were cut out. This show was broadcast on tape delay, not live. Yatsu DDTs Hara. Damn, we just got the 10 minute call. OK, more than half was clipped off. Yatsu and Hara get in a stiff chopfest. Then they start headbutting each other like a couple of drunk Klingons on a Saturday night in Quark's after a few glasses of blood wine. Yatsu flips the script with an enzuguri. Lariato from Yatsu. Hara blocks a bulldog, the running headlock, attempt. Bulldog, the wrestler, runs in and chops Yatsu to fully break it up. He tags in and hits Yatsu with a corner lariato. Hara tags in and hits a lariato, followed by a suplex for 2. Yatsu ducks a Bulldog lariato, hits a German and tags Haku. The heel team goes for a double team powerbomb but Hara breaks it up. Bulldog gets tossed out to the floor. Haku runs him into the guardrail. Shoulderbreaker from Haku back in for 2. Double headbutt from the heels. Lariato from Yatsu for 2. Piledriver. Hara breaks the pin up. Backbreaker from Haku. Another. The full trio. Again Hara breaks a pin up. Bulldog goes into dodge mode. He and Haku collide with Bulldog on top and getting a 2 count. Tag to Hara. Lariato! Suplex. Yatsu comes in to break the pin up but elbow drops Haku! Face team double tackle on Haku. Double suplex. Haku ducks a Hara lariato, but Bulldog comes from behind and Paul Smackages Haku for the pin! After the bell the heels hit a double powerbomb on Bulldog. It's hard to judge with over half the match getting cut out, but what we saw was pretty good and nicely stiff. **3/4

On TV it's now highlights time for the unworthy for broadcast first three matches. The only thing of note is a very young Minoru Suzuki muderizing his opponent in under two minutes.

 

George and Shunji Takano def The Rockers in 10:55- The Rockers are right in the middle of teasing their breakup. In fact, Janetty's famous trip through the Barber Shop window had already been taped but wouldn't be shown on TV until January. This is another JIP'd match with Janetty and George doing some mat grappling. They trade a pair of kicks before George wraps up a chinlock and tags out to his brother Shunji and his mullet. The Rockers whip out some of their classic double team offense. They seem to be working fine together so far. Shunji backdropeh suplexes Shawn and tags out. George hits a German suplex on Shawn. Janetty and George return to their mat work for a bit. George hits Janetty with a dropkick. He whips Janetty into a Shunji dropkick off the second rope. Janetty dodges in the corner but runs into a Shunji knee and gets tossed out. George whips him over the guardrail. Shawn runs in with a superkick and retrieves Janetty from the crowd. Back in Shunji hits a suplex, then George comes off the top with a big splash for 2. Janetty small packages George for 2. The Takanos keep him in peril until Janetty gets Shunji with really weak leg takedown. George gives Janetty some chops in the corner. Janetty hits a back elbow for 2. Shawn tags in and superkicks George for 2. Rockers double back elbow for 2. Another dropkick from George on Janetty, then he hits a tombstone. Another big splash off the top. Shawn runs in to break things up. George dropkicks Janetty off the top rope but Shawn is on him again. Shawn sets George up for Janetty, but Janetty's too weak from the earlier beatdown to launch himself off the ropes. Shawn gets frustrated and pushes Janetty off the ropes like he's the broken ladder at Summerslam '95. Janetty flies right into George's waiting knees! George covers and pins Janetty! After the bell Shawn yells at Janetty to "Use your head!" before the video cuts off. Very bleh match but the finish was good for the breakup angle, even though it would have been nice if dissension had been teased before the end run. *3/4

 

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase (w/Sensational Sherri) def "The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich in 9:18- No ongoing feud for this all-WWF battle. In fact neither of these guys had much going on at the moment. DiBiase was in between the end of his feud with Virgil and the start of his Money Inc pairing with IRS that would quietly dominate the tag title scene for the next year plus. Tornado had fallen out of favor with management due to his personal issues and was floating around midcard hell. In a rare move entrances are clipped but the match is full. I'll take that tradeoff if we have to cut something. Commentary has a big laugh about something during the opening lockup. DiBiase gets some shots in on a rope break. Speed run and Tornado gets the Claw on! DiBiase quickly escapes to the floor. Back in DiBiase quickly takes control again. He tries a sunset flip, but that only puts him in a spot for Tornado to get the Claw on again! Another DiBiase escape. Again DiBiase outwrestles Tornado back in. Speed run and Tornado gets a hiptoss, then works a headlock. Sherri has not shut up the whole match and we can hear it all thanks to the deadness of the crowd and the Dome's acoustics. DiBiase hits some shots in the corner and back elbows Tornado after a whip reversal. He tosses Tornado out to the floor, then tosses him into the commentary area that's been a target all these SWS shows. DiBiase grabs a chair and gives Tornado a couple of shots with it. Tornado tries to fight back so DiBiase gives him a shot on the table. Don't worry, it's early '90s Japan, the table won't break. Sherri finally gets her mandatory shot in. Lariato from Dibiase back in. Fist drop for 2. Suplex for 2. Tornado dodges the blind elbow off the second rope. You'd think DiBiase would stop trying that, he always misses. Lariato from Tornado. Suplex. Discus punch! DiBiase blocks the Claw! Sherri gets up on the apron. Off-hand Claw on Sherri! DiBiase gives Tornado a shot from behind, DDTs him, and gets the pin. Decentish. **

 

Inaugural SWS Junior Heavyweight Championship: Naoki Sano def "The Model" Rick Martel in 7:29- Over a year into its existence SWS is finally starting up its first championship. And it's not even a heavyweight title. They had relied on faction warfare and international stars to sell their shows and, well, we see how that turned out for them. There was supposedly a tournament held with this being the final but there's no evidence it actually took place. Must have been in Rio. Sano was a former IWGP junior champ so he fit the bill here. Martel, less so. This title is listed as "SWS & WWF Authorized" by SWS but I highly doubt WWF ever intended to do anything with it. On a related amusing note the original WWF Light Heavyweight belt was still floating around companies in Japan in this period. Sano almost takes a tumble coming down the stairs from his entrance platform. They present the belt before the match and it looks more like a boxing belt than a wrestling one. I assume the American chap holding his half of the belt is from WWF but I can't place him. Code of Honor handshake before the bell. Martel is always a babyface in Japan from his AWA days. After a quick leg takedown Martel gives us the cartwheel. Spiffy headlock/headscissors exchange and stalemate. Speed run and Martel hits a dropkick. Sano kips up to make a statement. After some dodges in the corner Martel rolls Sano up for 2. Martel ducks a lariato, brags, then gets hit with a lariato that sends him to the floor. Sano senton off the top rope to the floor! Man this crowd is dead dead dead. Even worse than the last Dome show. Undertaker needs to come out and bodybag them all, that's how dead it is. Back in Sano hits an enzuguri for 2. Martel slaps on a headlock. Sano uses that to hit a kneebreaker. Or tries. He completely misses but Martel sells it anyway. Spinning toe hold from Sano. Martel pushes out, sending Sano out to the floor. He runs Sano's back into the post, then suplexes Sano back in for 2. Martel starts going into his usual back work to set up for the Boston crab. Gutwrench suplex. Backbreaker. Martel goes up top. Sano pops up with a lariatoish shot to send him tumbling out to the floor! Sano dive! Not sure if that was intended to be a tope con hilo or maybe a sunset bomb, he flipped over and just about rammed heads with Martel while he was upside down. Back in Sano flips over Martel in the corner, hits a German suplex, and that gets the pin! It looks like Sano hurt his leg for real on that almost disastrous dive, don't know if they cut short because of that or not. Sano is presented with a usual big Tokyo Dome match winning trophy and the belt. Another very meh match. They didn't get enough time to really dig into it. Not the best way to finally introduce your first title. Sano would be the only man to hold this title before SWS folded. **1/4

 

Yoshiaki Fujiwara def Ishinriki (w/KY Wakamatsu) in 11:12- Fujiwara is another shoot style wrestler that had a long career in New Japan, but a career that included rocky relationships with many of the top guys in the promotion, particularly Inoki and Riki Choshu, and he had recently been fired from there. He's working as a freelancer all over the place at this point. I've listened to enough Japanese commentary to know they mention New Japan on his entrance (Shin Nihon). I mentioned Ishinriki looking like a comedy wrestler his previous appearance. Turns out he's a former sumo (lighter weight class) that was trying to transition to wrestling. He had a pretty classic happy babyface personality that got the crowd easily behind him. Since this is another shoot style match we'll keep it brief. On the first rope break Fujiwara gives Ishinriki a nice little head pat, mussing up his hair. Ishinriki makes sure to fix it before getting going again. Ishinriki shows a lot of fire throwing hands and that gets the crowd as fired up as they have been the whole show. Fujiwara plants a headbutt right on Ishinriki's jaw. They start in with the exploratory kicks. A Fujiwara kicks catches Ishinriki in the face and he tumbles out to the floor. Fujiwara gets a laugh teasing a dive. Back in an Ishinriki dropkick is completely no sold. He fires up with more wild open hand slaps on Fujiwara. Straight open hand slaps seem to only piss Fujiwara off. Ishinriki hooks up for a suplex. Fujiwara counters into an armbar! Ishinriki gets a quick rope break. During a standing grapple Ishinriki catches Fujiwara with a shot across the jaw. He does an enzuguri, but it looks like Fujiwara doesn't even notice it's happening. These guys aren't just not on the same page, they're reading completely different books. Fujiwara starts letting some kicks loose. Ishinriki grabs one and takes Fujiwara down. He stomps right on Fujiwara's head! Starting to wonder if this isn't turning into another Earthquake/Koji Kitao situation, just with more professionalism. Ishinriki goes to the top rope but Fujiwara casually strides away from him to a decent crowd cheer. Cautious knucklelock into a test of strength and leverage fight. Feels like there's been a mental reset here for both guys, reigning things back in before it gets completely out of control. Another long series of stalemate grappling follows. Ishinriki gets a takedown and gives Fujiwara some kicks in the back. After a corner break Ishinriki goes nuts with a headbutt and open hand strikes again. Fujiwara responds with a quick takedown. He wraps one of Ishinriki's arms up with his legs and gets a submission. They handshake and hug after the bell so I guess things weren't so bad in there after all. Despite the very different styles and gameplans this came together into something fairly watchable. **3/4

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: The Road Warriors (c) def The Natural Disasters (w/Jimmy Hart) in 9:15- This was the big tag title feud happening on regular WWF TV at the time. They were building to a PPV title match at the Royal Rumble. Like the last Dome show the LOD are going by the Road Warriors in Japan. They even come out to Iron Man. Staring and shoving before the bell leads to a hot start. The fight immediately goes out to the floor, Animal vs Quake and Hawk vs Typhoon. Animal gives Quake a chairshot. Pissed off Quake tears apart one of the ringside tables and nails Animal! He tries to give Animal a chairshot but Animal blocks it, takes the chair and nails Quake again. Everything calms down and we reset in the ring with Hawk and Typhoon. Lockup stalemates. Animal press slams Hawk into Typhoon! Typhoon catches him! Animal dropkicks Hawk's back and Typhoon goes down. Quake runs in and gives Animal another stiff shot in the back. Animal dodges a double team and Quake tackles Typhoon. Then Hawk tackles both off the top rope. Another reset staredown. Both sides swap. Quake wants to go sumo with Animal! Animal goes for it. Collision with no one moving. They try again. Another stalemate. Quake comes off the ropes and runs Animal over. Animal ducks a lariato and gives Quake a flying tackle. Double clothesline! Quake powers out of a Hawk headlock and that seems to stun Hawk. Typhoon catches Hawk leaping again and backbreakers him. Quake tags in and also hits a backbreaker. Hawk gets tossed out to the floor. Quake slams him on a ringside table! And it almost breaks! Typhoon continues the assault on Hawk's back. Canadian backbreaker! Hawk gets a boot up in the corner, hits an elbow off the second rope and tags. The Disasters cut off Animal's hot tag flurry, until Animal double flying tackles them. Animal whips Typhoon into the corner. Quake reverses and whips Animal into Typhoon. Quake charges in to squash him, but Animal moves and Quake nails Typhoon instead. EVERYONE IN THE POOL! LOD double slam and double dropkick Quake. Double back suplex on Typhoon! Hart gets on the apron. He gets press slammed down into Quake! Animal gets Typhoon up for the Doomsday Device! It hits and it's over! Good stuff. These two teams knew how to get the most out of each other, which we'd see again at the Rumble. ***

 

Hulk Hogan def Genichiro Tenryu in 13:57- In many ways this is the main event of the entire series of joint shows. Hogan is just coming off the pair of WWF Championship matches with the Undertaker that were both interfered in by Ric Flair and ultimately led to the title being vacated and put up for grabs in the Royal Rumble for Flair to win. Tenryu is the only guy on the SWS roster that could realistically be considered anything close to a tippy top guy. All the rest were midcarders at best. Tenryu gets a crazy super special entrance that probably blew half of SWS's budget. Code of Honor handshake after the bell. Hogan immediately gets a Japan only arm takedown out of the lockup. Tenryu counters to wrap up Hogan's legs. Rope break reset and both guys are very cautious. Hogan drop toe holds out of a knucklelock and half nelsons Tenryu on the mat, trying to roll him over for a pin. Full on Japan Hogan so far. Tenryu gets his first chop in the corner and Hogan quickly backs off. Another lockup and Hogan gets a waistlock takedown. Tenryu is up with another big chop, almost more to get in Hogan's head than really hurt him. Lockup and Hogan does another one of his classic Japan takedown sequences. It's a Japan Hogan greatest hits night for sure. Standing rope break and Hogan shoves Tenryu away. Another long stretch of cautious pawing and Hogan takes an open hand swing. It doesn't connect much but Tenryu is annoyed. It breaks down into a slugfest! Tenryu ducks a Hogan lariato, blocks a big boot, gets a leg takedown and wraps up a legbar! Great sequence. Hogan quickly rolls into the ropes and ends up on the floor, shaking his knee off. Back in Hogan gives Tenryu a couple of elbows and hits the big boot for 2. Corner lariato from Hogan. Boston crab! Tenryu is too close to the ropes and gets an easy break. Hogan dodges a Tenryu roll that I'm not sure what it was supposed to be. High running knee from Hogan, but he hurt his tweaked knee again doing that. Enzuguri from Tenryu! Hogan falls to the floor again. Tenryu gets a chair and nails Hogan in the bad knee! That actually gets him a bit of heat from the home crowd. Corner lariato from Tenryu. Another enzuguri for 2. Drop toe hold and Tenryu works on the bad knee some more. Hogan hits back elbows to get free. Tenryu kicks him right in the face! Powerbomb! Hogan kicks out! Hogan slugs back and hits a slam. Legdrop! Tenryu kicks out! Each kicked out of finishers, check. Axe bomber! Tenryu kicks out again! Tenryu blocks another big boot. Hogan hits an enzuguri! But Tenryu falls on Hogan's legs and wraps them up again. Hogan won't give up so Tenryu gets up and kicks him in the face again. More chops. They both hit the ropes and both charge in for lariatos. Hogan wins that exchange. He drops a couple of elbows. Another legdrop! Tenryu kicks out again! The crowd is almost starting to sound into it now. Still nowhere near your typical New Japan Dome crowd though. Another enzuguri from Hogan. Lariato. Axe bomber! Hogan finally puts Tenryu down for 3! Everyone hugs it out after. That's how you save a damn show. ***3/4

A few notes on the future before wrapping up. SWS bowed to the inevitable and folded in June of '92, a few months shy of two full years in existence. Though there would be no more joint shows after this one WWF talent would continue to quietly come over and work some SWS tours. Almost immediately after SWS ended Tenryu gave the startup thing another try with another new promotion- WAR (originally Wrestling and Romance, then Wrestle Association R). WAR would last until 2000 and have several interpromotional feuds, including a fairly big one with New Japan. WWF also continued working with Tenryu and WAR for a couple more years but not to the extent they did with SWS. When that pipeline fully dried up in '94 it left the WCW/New Japan partnership as the only cross-Pacific wrestling relationship for many years.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Pretty dreadful until the main event. Hogan and Tenryu is definitely worth checking out, especially if you want a good look at the pure wrestling style Hogan would work in Japan.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+