Pro Wrestling Love vol. 18: Best of UWF REBORN 1988-1990 (Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Akira Maeda)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 18:

The Best of UWF REBORN 1988-1990

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This eighteenth volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the Top 6 countdown of the best matches to take place in UWF REBORN from 1988-1990. As with most Akira Maeda moves, this is all started with a shoot kick. Maeda kicked Riki Choshu, a main eventer and booker, for real and this led to his firing. After Original UWF closed, Maeda & Co. invaded Antonio Inoki’s New Japan. Maeda was forced out of New Japan after this confrontation and restarted UWF with Nobuhiko Takada and Kazuo Yamazaki. Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask) did not invade New Japan and founded the first Japanese shootfighting promotion, Shooto, which may be the first successful shootfighting promotion in the world. Yoshiaki Fujiwara would stay with New Japan until 1989 when he jumped ship to his natural habitat. UWF REBORN much like its predecessor, Original UWF, burned bright but burnt out quick. They drew 50,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome no small feat using the old Rikidozan/Antonio Inoki strategy of inviting Western shoot fighters to Japan to do jobs. UWF folded in 1990 when the principal stakeholders could no longer get along. The final straw was Maeda’s refusal to work Genichiro Tenryu’s SWS promotion claiming it would damage the UWF and its wrestlers credibility. Thus the promotion folded and in 1991 three promotions sprang forth from its collapse: Nobuhiko Takada’s UWFi, who would later found PRIDE FC, Yoshiaki Fujiwara’s PWFG, whose students would found Pancrase and BattlArts, and Akira Maeda’s Fighting Network RINGS.   You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Best Match Of All Time?

Honorable Mentions

Akira Maeda vs Nobuhiko Takada – 11/10/88

Voted the greatest Japanese Shoot Style Match of the 80s by DVDVR and revered as a classic of the genre, this comes in as an honorable mention because I found the front half of this match dreadfully dull. The second half is incredibly dramatic with an amazing comeback story narrative. The second half is wrestled at a ***** level, but I just couldn’t rate something highly when the front half is so boring. Definitely check this out and let me know what you think.

Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki – 5/21/89

One of my more against the grain opinions is how boring I find Akira Maeda. He has all the charisma of a potted plant in my opinion. He does nothing for me on the ground. He is good for a pretty good kick or takedown every once and awhile. He is the antithesis of Fujiwara who drips with charisma and is always doing something interesting. In my opinion, this is Maeda’s best match as Yamazaki drags it out of him by being so explosive and forcing the boss’ hand to fight back.

Top Six Matches of UWF Reborn (1988-1990)

#6. Masakatsu Funaki vs Yoji Anjoh – 6/14/89

Cool to finally get a feel for some of the UWF II midcard after much pretty much nothing but combinations of Maeda, Yamazaki and Takada. The energy of this match is off the charts. Funaki bitchslaps Anjoh at the bell and IT IS ON! Amazing stand up fight brawl ensues. Anjoh hits some crazy kicks in this. There is a mule/spinkick that catches Funaki flush at one point that looked just nasty. There were some wicked headbutts too. It really should have been scored as a knockdown. This was some really great catch wrestling as you can see how they are taking down one another and positioning them for submissions. Everything is fought for and earned. I loved how many strikes there were in the mounts and the holds. They were constantly whacking each other in the face on the mat or kicking out the legs during standup takedowns. There was plenty of good pro wrestling too. Like Anjoh doing a half crab but standing on the other knee. I forget which one I think it was Anjoh kicked out of a deep heel hook by using his free leg to kick Funaki in the face. Thats how more people should have gotten out of the Anglelock. At one point Anjoh was going back for the single crab and Funaki's free foot just flies up and catches him flush in the face for a knockdown. I loved how Anjoh on a rope break for Funaki forced the ref to count Funaki down even though Funaki had already run out of rope breaks and it was going to be scored as such. It was a psychological thing. Funaki comes roaring back. Gets a Butterfly suplex and I mark out for the Butterfly Lock as that was my finisher growing up. It is actually a legitimately painful hold if you dont believe me my younger brother will attest to it. I would put my younger brother over like 90% of the time, but the couple times I would go over, it was with the Butterfly Lock so it was cool to see Funaki apply it here. We even get a Samoan Drop! The finish is insanely quick. Funaki gets a wicked legsweep. I am a mark for legsweeps, but as they go to the mat, Anjoh is able to apply a hammerlock or chickenwing it is unclear to garner the submission victory. As much as I like shoot style and now that I have watched a good amount, I still find myself having trouble rating it. Conventional pro wrestling, I am rating on narrative, character development, energy and emotion. Here I still dont have much in the way of a criteria. I find these matches are not as sticky. Conventional pro wrestling is easier to remember because it is a story. So point A causes point B causes point C so it becomes easier to remember because there is a logic. I dont want to say this devoid of logic, it is just clear to me. That being said I really enjoyed this because of the energy, struggle and ferocity. I am giving it a monster rating of ****1/2

#5. Nobuhiko Takada vs Bob Backlund – 12/22/88

UWF Reborn Match of the Year, 1988

A weird dream match that happened that no one besides me thinks as a dream match. These are two of my all-time favorites hooking it up in their prime. I used to watch the shit out of this but it had been four years since I seen it.

First ten minutes: Bob Backlund is fucking great isn't he? Takada throws a check kick to say this ain't the WWF anymore. Backlund takes a bunch of kicks to the face because he is a man. Then catches one and dumps Takada on his ass. Then dances around because he is Bob Backlund. Lots of great struggle on the mat. At first I was worried Backlund would have the amateur wrestler in MMA problem where he can take down at will but can't finish. He gets a good leg bar early. I like how he clasps his hands on the cross armbreaker. Thank you! He forces a break with a tight Camel Clutch. Takada comes back with a leg bar to force a rope break. Takada throws a bunch of Muay Thai knees in the clinch and Backlund responds with a back Suplex to get a down. Backlund throws his weight on an armbar to force another break. Takada tries to pop up so Backlund pops him in the mouth with a wicked right forearm to get another down. Takada Fucking Unloads. Kicks, back Suplex more kicks and Backlund is finally considered down and ref starts his count. Absolute war thus far. 

Second ten minutes: Slowed down here but the struggle is so intense. Dripping with effort on the mat. I love how Backlund's solution to everything is to Bridge out on his neck. Cross armbreaker bridge out. Full mount bridge out. Heel hook bridge out. Backlund was selling and working like a horse for everything. He lost a break on single leg crab. Takada realizes he can't handle Backlunds freaky strength on the mat so just kicks him in the face really hard and draws blood from the nose and two more counts from ref. 3-2 on downs favoring Takada. Takada wants a Suplex so Backlund gets a ferocious hip block takedown and drops into an armbar. Bob Backlund shoot style is awesome.

Last Five Minutes: insane finish run. Backlund gives Takada a shiner. He was fucking popping him with those forearms. Big Butterfly Suplex by Backlund! FU OUT OF NOWHERE BY BACKLUND! Sleeper! Crossface Chickenwing? Can't get it. Backlund gets legbar and Takada just wails on him in the face with his free leg. Takada kicks the dog shit out of him. Single leg crab doesn't get down. Backlund is bloody and Takada is bruised. Deep double wrist lock by Takada and the ref calls the match for Takada TKO. Backlund is confused and it is the Iron Sheik all over again. 

This was wicked exciting. It is not the prettiest or most logical match. But shit is always going down and the struggle for holds is ferocious. Once Takada explodes Backlund's nose the match becomes a total banger. They just ripped into each other. Anyone who has seen Backlund/Valentine knows Backlund is made for this style. God I wish Valentine wrestled in UWF! Huge feather in Backlund's cap showing why he is one of the best.

#4. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki – 7/24/89

I was kinda dreading this because it is 30 minutes and I dont think shoot-style should go more than 15. I know, I know who am I to doubt Fujiwara?

First Half: Really fun front half. When we discuss shoot-style we dont use the word "fun" that much but this was fun. The best spot was Fujiwara feigning a knockdown as if to say "You really think you had me down for a nine count from what little kick to the midsection?". Fujiwara was such a jackass. After being a dick about faking a knockdown, he lures Yamazaki into the corner and headbutts him instead of giving him a clean break.  Then he just unloads a barrage of stiff body shots that puts Yamazaki down. Yamazaki gets back up and only takes a couple more body shots before he is down again. I know that was just the last 3 minutes or so of the first half, but what an incredible three minutes. I enjoyed the work prior to that. Fujiwara delivered a nasty headbutt in the opening lockup. Destroyed Yamazaki in the kick game. There was a great moment when Yamazaki had a kneebar and Fujiwara thinks about a rope break. He thinks better of it. He puts his forearm on the throat of Yamazaki and cracks him with a palm strike. What an asshole. Guess what, he counters into his own leg lace and Yamazaki has to use his rope break. Delivered a badass Fisherman's suplex. So was this a squash? No. Yamazaki was able to counter a Fujiwara armbar and attempt his own. His best moment came when Fujiwara hit the a Fisherman Suplex and didnt know what to do next. Yamazaki was able to get a double wristlock then choke, Again, Fujiwara proved to be better as he was able to get a really deep toehold. When Yamazaki tried to use his free leg to free himself, Fujiwara grabbed that and put Yamazaki in a really deep toehold. I hate, hate the term carryjob. But man reflecting on what I watched and writing this, it does feel like a Fujiwara carryjob, but damn if it hasnt been fun as fuck so far. 

Second Half: Yamazaki looks like such a tool in this match. He is throwing spinwheel kicks that barely connect and Fujiwara just looks down on him like "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Fujiwara is able to get back to back leg submissions that force rope breaks and so he scores another down. I literally say out loud, "Yamazaki you suck, do something" at this point. I finally realize he is throwing the axe kick as feint to set up a roundhouse kick. He finally connects with one to mush but Fujiwara is back up at nine quickly to say that one didnt phase me that bad. Yamazaki kinda spooks Fujiwara with a couple kicks and you can tell these actually affect Fujiwara because he roars back and a couple swift body shots for the fourth knockdown. Fujiwara is such a cocky prick. He announces he only needs one more knockdown and holds out one finger. Yamazaki has such body language at this point. He looks like a man that is defeated and has no fight left in him. At one point, a firefight breaks out and he catches Fujiwara with a kneelift that stuns Fujiwara and scores a knockdown. I am rooting hard for Fujiwara at this point and would hate to see him choke. Yamazaki delivers a brutal headbutt and pops Fujiwara in the mouth so hard he bloodies him. OH SHIT! It is on! Fujiwara just starts leading with his head. He is a fucking Yamazaki-seeking missile. He cracks Yamazaki hard under the eye, I think drawing blood and a TKO victory. Wild finish!

If someone says Yoshiaki Fujiwara is the greatest pro wrestler, I wouldnt bat an eye. This is the Fujiwara show and just enjoy it. What knocks this down from the tippy toppy and thought Yamazaki was just a load in this match and didnt contribute much. Fujiwara was glorious in this match. Watch him work! ****1/2

#3. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada – 10/25/89

I have preached this so much and I think this a perfect example of the mantra "The drama should be in applying the hold not escaping the hold". This front half of the match just drips with struggle. It has a huge fight feel. Two equals taking each other very seriously. There are so many quick, sudden movements on the mat as they each are trying to gain the most advantageous position for a finishing submission. Takada ends up in a legbar and he is immediately selling and lunging for the ropes and gets the break. Thats great psychology. There were so many holds exchange that were half-applied, but once one was fully applied the mood changed. It became very serious. You can see how Takada's game plan changed immediately. He started throwing kick after kick to the left leg of Fujiwara. Takada's forte is stand-up. There is another great moment on the ground. Takada has his hands clasped and Fujiwara is just on top of him. To the untrained this looks boring, but God is it tense. As soon as Takada breaks his clasp, Fujiwara will pounce. Takada has to break his clasp because Fujiwara is in control. In a shoot fight, Takada is fucked. Since this is shoot-style, we can suspend our disbelief and believe Takada knew that Fujiwara would try for a double wristlock and thus could counter into the cross armbreaker. Takada's move was fully applied and Fujiwara's was not and thus it is Fujiwara scrambling for the ropes. Again the tension and the drama is in who can apply the hold, once the hold is applied it is a mad dash for the ropes. That is how you respect the hold. Takada goes back to work on the legs. Fujiwara tries to throw his own kicks, which was never his forte. If he is going to throw a strike, it is a headbutt BANG! Thats what we get, it is a delayed register, but Takada goes down in a heap for the first knockdown. The symmetry in this match is incredible. Takada responds by finally chopping down the old cherry tree with his kicks as Fujiwara is forced to take a knee from a flurry of kicks for his first knockdown. Fujiwara tries to scissors the legs but Takada sits outs and now Fujiwara has no leverage. Single leg crab, great labored breathing from Fujiwara he struggles to ropes. Amazing selling from Fujiwara and he is easy pickins for Takada who cracks him in the leg again for a second knockdown. Takada opens a big lead as a wild roundhouse kick to the midsection and then one to face sends Fujiwara reeling into the corner. Takada overwhelms him with kicks to the head for the third knockdown. Takada falls prey to another headbutt in a knucklelock. Why would you ever knucklelock with Fujiwara? Especially this has been his most successful strategy. Takada goes for a knucklelock, but then thinks the better of it crosses over such that his right hand will be linked with Fujiwara's right hand which should take some of the power away from a headbutt. Takada gets another wild roundhouse kick, but this time cant follow up in the corner. He cups Fujiwara in the ear on a lock up which is a receipt for the headbutts in the lock up. It is now 4-2 Takada! Do or die time for Fujiwara! You know what that means! Kidney punches and body shots! 4-3! Takada tries to use the ref as a shield as he knows Fujiwara is lying in wait, but to no avail. Takada weathers the storm and almost has Fujiwara off his feet...only the ropes are holding Fujiwara up when...Fujiwara lunges forward and butts him with his head! IT IS 4-4! Next knockdown wins! Takada kicks out Fujiwara's leg for the close victory. The ref seems uncertain to call it a knockdown, but to be consistent has to and Takada wins via TKO. 

The crowd is a bit confused because it was a judgment call. Based on the calls earlier in the match it was definitely a knockdown, but it was NOT a definitive knockout blow. Clearly that was on purpose these are two of your three biggest stars and you want rematches so there has to be some protection. The opening matwork was engaging and compelling for the reasons I outlined above. The stand up portion of the match was intensely dramatic. Great selling from Fujiwara, awesome strategy from Takada and then Fujiwara mounting a massive comeback using basically just headbutts and kidney punches was crazy. Definitely one of the best shoot-style matches ever that had pro-style elements (Fujiwara's leg selling and Takada targetting a body part) and I think it was those pro-style elements that made me like this so much. Maybe Takada's best match ever

#2. Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano – 7/24/89

UWF Reborn Match of the Year, 1989

Funaki should have been a massive star in puroresu in the 90s. Funaki vs Tenryu, Funaki vs Takada, and Funaki vs Hashimoto should have been huge draws. 

Holy shit! What a match, I thought the Anjoh match was great, but this was superb. Balls to the wall for ten insane minutes. It is just a wild shoot style brawl. Nakano is a huge favorite. The crowd is red hot and they are chanting for Nakano throughout. The first three minutes are brutal and electric. Funaki explodes Nakano's face with palm strikes. Funaki gets cut right under the eye by a vicious knee and it looks like he is crying blood. It is unconformable. Funaki gets spiked on his head because he refuses to go over a take down at one point. The trainer has to tend to Nakano. Nakano is the first one to score a knockdown as he escapes a leg lace and blasts Funaki in the head with a kick. Funaki is one of the best shoot-style sellers I have ever seen. He comes up woozy. Who knows if he was selling? Funaki's matches always incorporate really cool organic throws. I love him not letting Nakano complete a Dragon Leg Screw and just stomping on his head. Yes! Yes! Yes! Pro wrestling needs more of this. Pro wrestling should not be easy. Funaki gets a wild spinkick that pops me and then a back drop driver for his first knockdown. That spinkick would make Kawada jealous. He nailed it. Nakano is a bloody mess in the single leg crab. Nakano is kind of a humpty-dumpty looking muthafucka. Trainer is back in. Nakano says he is ready for more punishment. This has been a war. I could see Inoki absolutely loving this. This is Inokiism at its finest. Funaki attacks the knees once the trainer leaves. Nakano thrust kick creates separation and then a roundhouse kick to the head downs Funaki. Wicked suplex/DDT from Nakano. Funaki EXPLODES~! Palm strikes, headbutts and in his furious flurry he leaves himself open for Nakano counterattack who pops him with a knee. This is an insane ending just a wild brawl. Nakano throws a snap German Suplex into a Single Leg Crab and Funaki writhes out. Funaki picks Nakano up and just does a wicked Somersault Alabama Slam! WOW! DEEP BOSTON CRAB! Liontamer-esque and Nakano has to tap out. WOW! I am speechless. A shoot-style brawl that just delivers in spades.

#1. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada – 10/25/90

UWF Reborn Match of the Year, 1990

I love Fujiwara! I love Takada! Does it live up to the hype?

First Half: Fujiwara is a genius. Best defense is a good offense. Takada definitely relies on his stand up game and especially his kicks to establish his offense. Fujiwara takes that away by being so damn pugnacious. From the opening bell, he is lunging at him headlong with headbutts and attacking the body. Takada is covering up as best he can and just trying to weather the storm. Takada is going for holds more out of defense and trying to break Fujiwara's momentum more than anything else. The double wristlock out of the German and the heel hook was to save himself from the barrage of headbutts. It was almost like Takada was trying to get his wits about him. The leg work which i usually find boring as hell in Takada matches was great here because of how much struggle there was. Fujiwara's snarl and labored breathing added so much as did Takada's facial expressions. My favorite moment of the match thus far was when Fujiwara had one hand on Takada's throat and then started throwing headbutts to break the submission. Great selling from Takada. I brought this up in October 25, 1989 match is how well the drama was built in the application of the holds. In the next ground grappling session, once Fujiwara locks in a kneebar Takada is scrambling for the ropes and selling it upon standing up. That puts over the move and invests everyone in the match. Also, I really loved how Takada was not completely overwhelmed. An important point in the match was when Fujiwara had him in a wicked toehold. Takada's first instinct was rope break, but he stands up and blasts Fujiwara in the ear to earn a knock down. Thats a huge swing from losing a rope break to knocking your opponent down especially a head shot. Takada came to fight. That really sold me. Fujiwara roared back. He got a knockdown in the corner with a series of WICKED palm strikes, I mean brutal. Then he got on top of Takada on the ground not to apply a hold, but rather just butt him with his head hard many times. Until the ref called him off and started his count. Thats when the match really changed. Takada had his bell rung, but so did Fujiwara it looked like to me at least. You can only deliver so many nauseating headbutts before the damage takes a toll on you. Fujiwara could no longer follow up and here came Takada with the same strategy from last October lay in those wicked kicks to the left hamstring. Fujiwara is trying to block and go on offense but as we go into the second half, Takada has built a lot of momentum targetting that leg with his patented kicks. Can Takada complete the comeback or will Fujiwara hit that miracle headbutt for the win? 

Second Half: Has Takada ever looked better on top? He was a stone cold killer in this. The kicks always look phenomenal, but in addition his palm strikes and kneelifts were brutal. Fujiwara really withstood quite the barrage before going down. Takada was just blitzing him. When Fujiwara did finally go down that look of dejection was just sad. He popped back up, but you knew Takada was rolling. I thought Takada's big mistake was going back to the ground. I get changing it up and using the the stand up game to set up a submission, but he kept getting countered. He got caught twice taking Fujiwara to the ground both times it ended a rope break. Guess what Fujiwara was up 3-2 when it felt like Takada had all the momentum. Takada only had himself to blame. The ultimate sequence when in the leglocks Takada just starts mercilessly kicking Fujiwara in the face until the ref is forced to call a down. I actually felt bad for Fujiwara. Even though earlier in the match he pulled the same shit in the match where he headbutted Takada into a submission, I felt bad for Fujiwara. Then all of sudden in the corner, Fujiwara came alive body blow after body blow forcing Takada to protect CRACK! Wicked headutt fells Takada...fuck this prick Fujiwara and fuck him for making him feel sympathy. I was hook, line and sinker at that point. Takada looked like a world beater but is down 4-3. I loved the selling after this. Fujiwara had his shit-eating grin and Takada is doing a great knocked loopy sell. Takada just keeps kicking, just keep kicking. Kidney kick has Fujiwara reeling and a kick to the bad leg AND IT IS 4-4! NEXT KNOCKDOWN WINS! Can I stop to stay how much I LOVE THIS POINT SYSTEM! It makes the matches so dramatic and it really creates drama down the stretch. Fujiwara has this MASSIVE GRIN on his face as he is luring Takada into the corner. Takada takes the bait...Fujiwara reverses position...he is working...fuck I cant believe Takada is going to lose...Takada kneelifts...Fujiwara body shots...BIG LEFT KNEELIFT TO THE HEAD ROCKS FUJIWARA...HUGE RIGHT KNEELIFT...DOWN GOES FUJIWARA! DOWN GOES FUJIWARA! Takada beats Fujiwara at his own game and much more definitive finish than their October 1989 classic makes this an easy ***** and one of the best shoot-style matches of all time.