Date: October 10th, 1996
Location: Japan
Attendance: Unknown

Michinoku Pro has always been a very interesting company. Run by Great Sasuke, there are always stories about the wrestlers not getting paid much (which is probably true) and that Great Sasuke was hard to deal with (also probably true). Still, Michinoku Pro had a lot of great years and 1996 was one of their best. At the time they were featuring a style of wrestling that you could not find in New Japan, All Japan, or in most places here in the United States. The stars of the show tended to be Jr. Heavyweights and they became known for their fast paced matches. Here, we see a more evenly spread card (Michinoku Pro was not all about the cruiserweight style) as we see a great main event with "Mr. Indy" Shinzaki (soon after he returned from the WWF) against the new star Hayabusa. Also on this card is Dynamite Kid's last match and one of the most talked about 10 man matches among those that have seen this tape. When people discuss some of the top puroresu shows in the last 10 years, this show tends to be mentioned since it was one of the better shows Michinoku Pro put out in a very solid year. Here is the full card:

- Johnny Saint vs. Naohiro Hoshikawa
- Lenny Lane vs. Wellington Wilkens Jr.
- Daisuke Ikeda and Satoshi Yoneyama vs. Yuki Ishikawa and Alexander Otsuka
- Dynamite Kid, Dos Caras, and Kobayashi vs. Great Sasuke, Mil Mascaras, and Tiger Mask I
- Hamada, Delfin, Tiger Mask, Naniwa, & Yakushiji vs. Teioh, Togo, Funaki, TAKA, & Shiryu
- Hayabusa vs. Jinsei Shinzaki

I don't think I have been this excited about a show in awhile... I love Hayabusa and Shinzaki, I have heard great things about the 10 man tag, and the six-man I know will bring a lot of mixed emotions from me. Let's get things started.

Johnny Saint vs. Naohiro Hoshikawa
This is a British style match, which means there will be using the "rounds" system. They feel each other out as round one starts, tie-up, side headlock by Saint, reversed by Hoshikawa into an arm wringer into a hammerlock, but Saint reverses it back. Hoshikawa rolls out of the arm wringer hold after a moment and gets back to his feet facing Saint again. Drop toehold by Hoshikawa and he applies a leg and arm stretch hold into a cover for a two count. Key lock by Hoshikawa, Saint struggles to his feet, rolls backwards, and applies pressure to Hoshikawa’s wrists. Hoshikawa reverses that into a cross armbreaker, but the bell rings and that is the end of round one.

Round Two – Hoshikawa kicks Saint in the legs to start the round and pulls Saint’s leg back in a submission. Saint gets to his feet though and with his free foot he monkey flips Hoshikawa down. Hoshikawa rolls out of the ring but soon gets back in. Tie-up, and Saint applies a stretch hold with both his knees in Hoshikawa’s back. Hoshikawa gets out of the hold and applies a reverse chinlock, but Saint does one of his weird goofy reversals and applies an arm wringer to Hoshikawa. Saint flips Hoshikawa to the mat, but Hoshikawa tackles him into the corner. Knees by Hoshikawa, Irish whip, and he hits a running shoulder tackle. Another Irish whip, but this time Saint jumps out of the way and rolls up Hoshikawa for a two count. Saint goes for a clothesline, but Hoshikawa ducks it and gives Saint the chickenwing giant swing, tossing Saint hard to the mat. Cover, but Saint barely kicks out. Scoop slam by Hoshikawa and he hits an elbow drop. Cover, but again it gets a two count. Hoshikawa applies a reverse chinlock into a headscissors, but again the bell rings and the second round has come to an end.

Round Three – Waistlock by Saint into a full nelson, reversed by Hoshikawa, but Saint reverses that into an arm wringer. Hoshikawa gets out of it and applies an armlock, but Saint does another one of his reversals (the Japanese crowd is amused) to apply an arm wringer. Hoshikawa pushes Saint into the ropes, Irish whip, pancake, they trade strike attempts, but Saint delivers a back bodydrop. Saint goes off the ropes and hits a crossbody, cover, but it gets a two count. Artful Dodger (!!!) by Saint, but Hoshikawa kicks out of the roll-up at two. Back to their feet, side headlock takedown by Hoshikawa, Saint struggles to his feet, but Hoshikawa takes him back down with an ankle lock. The bell rings though, and that is the end of round three.

Round Four – They circle each other to start, and Saint applies an abdominal stretch. He reverts the hold into a Cobra Twist and then takes down Hoshikawa with a hammerlock. Back up, Hoshikawa gets a running start and flings Saint out of the ring. Saint gets back in the ring (falling when he gets back in, which I don’t think was on purpose, but knowing Saint I have no idea), Hoshikawa approaches him, Irish whip by Saint, Saint goes for a monkey flip and rolls up into a ball, Hoshikawa is confused, which allows Saint to get him down with a leg flip. Cover, but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Hoshikawa, but Saint lands on his feet and rolls him up for two. Hoshikawa gets out of the roll-up with a headscissors, Irish whip, but it is reversed. Saint hits a vertical suplex, snaps over on top of Hoshikawa, and picks up the three count pinfall! Your winner: Johnny Saint

Match Thoughts: If you've never seen Saint wrestle before, you'd probably be confused. At this point in his career, Saint is old as dirt (he debuted in 1958), but he still looks pretty good all things considered. This was billed for years as his last pro wrestling match, although he did do a few other matches after this one. Anyway, this was a fun little match and the perfect opener since it allowed the fans to not take it too seriously. It was almost more of an exhibition for Johnny Saint then anything else. Saint is one of the greatest Jr. Heavyweights to ever come out of Great Britain, and he was the best "worker" on the cards that featured Big Daddy, Haystacks, etc. (who were the big draws). If Big Daddy was mid-90s Hulk Hogan, then Johnny Saint was Benoit/Guerrero/Malenko. So it was a decent match for what it was and it's hard not to chuckle at his unorthodox and "business exposing" style of offense. Score: 5.5

Lenny Lane vs. Wellington Wilkens Jr.
Seeing Lane in Michinoku Pro seems really random. Tie-up, firemen’s carry takedown by Wilkens and he hits a pair of suplexes on Lane. We get a small *clip*, and Wilkens has Lane in a grounded armbar. Wilkens applies the cross armbreaker, but Lane quickly makes it to the ropes. Back on their feet, tie-up, Wilkens pushes Lane back into the corner and gives a clean break. Lane goes off the ropes and goes for a shoulderblock, but Wilkens doesn’t budge. He tries again, but Wilkens pick him up and hits a military press slam. Chops by Wilkens in the corner, Irish whip, and he hits a clothesline. Wilkens chops Lane into the corner again, Irish whip, but Lane gets a foot up when Wilkens charges and hits a clothesline of his own. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Tombstone piledriver by Lane, he goes to the top turnbuckle, and hits a flying clothesline. Cover, but Wilkens kicks out. Lane picks up Wilkens, goes for another tombstone, but Wilkens reverses it into his own tombstone. Cover, but it gets a two count. Wilkens puts Lane up on the top turnbuckle, hits a series of forearms, joins him up top, and delivers a superplex. Cover, but Lane barely gets his arm up. Back up, chop by Wilkens, Irish whip, and Wilkens hits a flying clothesline. Wilkens applies an ankle lock, and Lane quickly taps out. Your winner: Wellington Wilkens Jr.

Post match: A wrestler who I can not identify comes in the ring and beats up Wilkens with a briefcase, but Wilkens nails a powerbomb on him and leaves the ring triumphant.

Match Thoughts: Even in its clipped form this match was not very good and had repetitive spots. This was very early in Lane's career, as he had just debuted in 1995 and was still years away from his WCW tenure. They didn't really mess up anything, but it was disjointed at times and they did a lot of the same moves to each other (lots of clotheslines). Also, they made the tombstone piledriver a transition spot, and not even a very good one, which seemed silly since by 1996 it was seen as a very respected move. Overall pretty disappointing, even though it was fun to see Lane wrestling at such a young age. Score: 3.0

Daisuke Ikeda and Satoshi Yoneyama vs. Yuki Ishikawa and Alexander Otsuka
Otsuka and Yoneyama start things off. Kicks by Yoneyama, but Otsuka drives him back into the ropes. Yoneyama switches positions with him however and hits repeated kicks to the chest while Ikeda from the outside hits kicks to Otsuka’s back. Otsuka falls out of the ring and gets kicked by Ikeda from the apron. Ikeda jumps down and rolls Otsuka back into the ring. Knees by Yoneyama and he hits a rolling kick in the corner. Yoneyama tags in Ikeda, who kicks Otsuka repeatedly in the chest and back. Otsuka finally gets Ikeda around the waist and he drops him on his head with a backdrop suplex. Key lock by Otsuka, but Ikeda rolls to the ropes. Ikeda chokes Otsuka, but Ishikawa helps from the apron. Ikeda applies a reverse chinlock with a body scissors and then goes for the cross armbreaker, but Otsuka picks him up and powerbombs him to the mat. Ankle lock by Otsuka, but Ikeda tags in Yoneyama. Kicks to the back by Yoneyama and he applies a leg lock. Otsuka manages to reverse it however, but Yoneyama makes it to the ropes. Back in the middle of the ring, Yoneyama re-applies the hold and then applies a single-leg crab, but Ishikawa comes in to break it up. Otsuka tags in Ishikawa, but Otsuka goes over to Yoneyama though before he leaves and drops him with a release delayed German suplex. Ishikawa applies a choke on Yoneyama, but Ikeda quickly breaks it up. Yoneyama tags in Ikeda, who applies an ankle lock on Ishikawa. Ikeda releases the hold so the referee can count, but Ishikawa gets back up. Ikeda promptly floors Ishikawa with more kicks, waits for him to get back up, goes for another kick, but Ishikawa catches it and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Ishikawa applies a leg lock, but Ikeda kicks his way out of it and tags in Yoneyama. Kicks to the head by Yoneyama, but Ishikawa finally catches one and slaps Yoneyama to the mat. A leg lock is applied by Ishikawa, Ikeda comes in and breaks it up, but Otsuka comes in as well and drops Ikeda with a German suplex. Ishikawa re-applies the hold, but Yoneyama eventually makes it to the ropes. Release German suplex by Ishikawa on Yoneyama, then Otsuka comes in the ring and nails a release dragon suplex. Mounted punches by Ishikawa and he slaps on the cross armbreaker while Otsuka tackles Ikeda. With no one to help, Yoneyama quickly taps out! Your winners: Yuki Ishikawa and Alexander Otsuka

Match Thoughts: I like the stiff style that guys like Ikeda and Otsuka bring to the table and this match was peppered with stiffness from start to finish. Otsuka seems to enjoy killing people with his suplexes, and all four men looked really good here. The ending seemed a little random though as after working over the leg, Ishikawa wins with a cross armbreaker, but other then that the match was entertaining and the short length I think helped them in the long run as it allowed the wrestlers to do full-tilt. Good stuff, if the ending had made more sense it would have been nearly perfect for what they were trying to do. Score: 6.5

Dynamite Kid, Dos Caras, and Kobayashi vs. Great Sasuke, Mil Mascaras, and Tiger Mask I
We start off with Dynamite Kid versus Tiger Mask, for old time's sake. Dynamite Kid avoids a Tiger Mask spinning heel kick to start the match. Tie-up, arm wringer by Dynamite Kid, but Tiger Mask flips out of it. Tiger Mask applies a side headlock and spins around Dynamite Kid to get him down with a drop toehold. Tiger Mask tags in Great Sasuke, but Dynamite Kid applies an arm wringer and punches him in the back of the head. Irish whip to the corner and he tags in Kobayashi. Chop by Kobayashi, Great Sasuke sends him for a ride, but Kobayashi hits a shoulder block. Great Sasuke is up quickly though and sends Kobayashi to the mat with an armdrag. Leapfrog by Great Sasuke and he monkey flips Kobayashi. Great Sasuke dropkicks Kobayashi out of the ring, he then goes out to the apron and hits a great Asai Moonsault down onto Kobayashi and lands on the table at ringside. Great Sasuke slides Kobayashi back into the ring and tags in Dos Caras. Chop by Dos Caras in the corner and he tells Great Sasuke to tag in Mil Mascaras. Mil Mascaras obliges, and the Lucha Libre legends face off. Mil Mascaras avoids Dos Caras at first and dropkicks him in the leg to get him on the mat. Mil Mascaras applies a submission hold, hiptoss by Mil Mascaras, but he allows Dos Caras to get back to his feet. Arm wringer by Dos Caras and he elbows Mil Mascaras in the arm. Mil Mascaras reverses it into his own arm wringer and armdrags Dos Caras to the mat. Another armdrag by Mil Mascaras and he nails a flying double chest chop to Dos Caras. Dos Caras has had enough and tags in Dynamite Kid, while Mil Mascaras tags Great Sasuke back in. Great Sasuke gets Dynamite Kid to the mat with an armbar, but Dynamite Kid gets back to his feet and throws Great Sasuke out of the ring. Dynamite Kid follows him out and hits a snap suplex on the outside to the floor. Clubs to the back by Dynamite Kid, he holds Great Sasuke for Kobayashi, and Kobayashi hits a baseball slide. Dynamite Kid climbs back into the ring while Dos Caras rams Great Sasuke back-first into the ring post. Dos Caras finally throws Great Sasuke back in the ring, and Dynamite Kid greets him with knees to the back. He tags in Kobayashi, who headbutts Great Sasuke repeatedly in the head. Irish whip by Kobayashi, but Great Sasuke reverses it with a sunset flip for the two count pinfall. Great Sasuke tags in Tiger Mask, and Tiger Mask kicks Kobayashi hard in the midsection to knock him down. Kobayashi gets back up, side headlock by Kobayashi, Tiger Mask Irish whips out of it, but Kobayashi shoulderblocks him down. Tiger Mask gets back to his feet quickly with a kip-up, Irish whip by Kobayashi to the corner, reversed, and Tiger Mask gives Kobayashi a flip kick before connecting with a hard back kick to the midsection. Kobayashi falls out of the ring, Tiger Mask goes to take a dive, but Kobayashi moves so Tiger Mask spins himself back into the ring (like a 619). Tiger Mask tags Great Sasuke back into the ring while Kobayashi tags in Dos Caras. Great Sasuke and Dos Caras struggle for position on the mat, and Dos Caras hits a double underhook into a backbreaker. Leg submission by Dos Caras, but Great Sasuke quickly gets to the ropes. Back on their feet, single leg takedown by Great Sasuke and he pulls on Dos Caras’s leg. Dos Caras reverses it into a headscissors, but Great Sasuke flips out of it and applies a camel clutch. Back up, Irish whip by Dos Caras to the corner and he hits a jumping clothesline. Dos Caras picks up Great Sasuke, Irish whip from the corner, but Great Sasuke flips over him. Great Sasuke goes into the ropes and dropkicks Dos Caras to the mat. Irish whip by Great Sasuke, reversed, and Dos Caras hits a running chop to Great Sasuke’s neck.

Dropkick by Dos Caras, Great Sasuke rolls out of the ring, but Dos Caras sails out after him with a pescado. Dos Caras gets back into the ring and tags in Kobayashi. Great Sasuke eventually gets back in as well, Kobayashi throws him into the corner and then tosses him back out of the ring. Dynamite Kid puts Great Sasuke up on a table at ringside and clubs him hard in the chest. Dynamite Kid continues kicking Great Sasuke as he gets into the ring, the now legal Dos Caras greets him and promptly throws him back out. Mil Mascaras comes into the ring, Dos Caras tries to push down Mil Mascaras by his forearm, he can’t get him, Kobayashi comes in to help by grabbing the other arm, but Mil Mascaras does a front flip and armdrags him both to the mat. Mil Mascaras then hits the combination headscissors/side headlock takedown on Dos Caras and Kobayashi and then shoulderblocks them both to the mat. Irish whip by Mil Mascaras on Dos Caras, and he hits a jumping shoulder strike. Dos Caras rolls out of the ring to be replaced by Dynamite Kid and Mil Mascaras tags in Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask connects with a back kick to the midsection of Dynamite Kid and then hits a spinning heel kick to the back of his head. DDT by Tiger Mask and he hits an elbow drop. Cover by Tiger Mask, but Dynamite Kid kicks out. Back up, Dynamite Kid avoids a dropkick, but Tiger Mask manages to tag in Great Sasuke so Dynamite Kid tags in Kobayashi. Single-leg takedown by Great Sasuke, but Kobayashi rakes on his mask and gets to his feet. Irish whip by Kobayashi and he slams Great Sasuke hard to the mat. Elevated crab hold by Kobayashi, but Great Sasuke makes it to the ropes. Kobayashi tags in Dos Caras, Irish whip by Dos Caras and he delivers a spinning backbreaker. Dos Caras applies one of his Lucha Libre submission holds, but he eventually releases it. Back on their feet, Irish whip by Great Sasuke and Great Sasuke dropkicks Dos Caras out of the ring. Great Sasuke then gets a running start in the ring and sails over the top rope with a somersault tope suicida. Kobayashi then gets a running start in the ring, and lands on top of Great Sasuke with a tope suicida. This brings Mil Mascaras to the top turnbuckle, and he dives out with a flying crossbody on Dos Caras and Kobayashi. Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask become the legal men by default, and Tiger Mask hits a gutwrench suplex. A stretch hold is applied by Tiger Mask, but Kobayashi is back in the ring and breaks it up. Tiger Mask kicks on Kobayashi and he nails the tombstone piledriver. Tiger Mask goes to the top turnbuckle (the one farthest from Kobayashi), and he delivers the diving headbutt. Cover, but Dynamite Kid breaks it up. Irish whip by Tiger Mask, reversed, and Kobayashi hits a fisherman’s suplex for a two count. Mil Mascaras is back in the ring, and he hits a flying double chop to the chest of Kobayashi. This brings in Dos Caras, Irish whip by Mil Mascaras on Dos Caras and Dos Caras gets the double chop to the chest as well. Great Sasuke comes in the ring to hold Dos Caras for Mil Mascaras, Mil Mascaras goes to the top turnbuckle, but Dos Caras moves and Mil Mascaras accidentally hits Great Sasuke. Mil Mascaras apologizes, but Dos Caras runs over and dropkicks him. Dynamite Kid comes in the ring to hit a tombstone piledriver on Great Sasuke, and Dos Caras finishes him off with a killer sit-down powerbomb. Cover by Dos Caras and he gets the three count pinfall! Your winners: Dynamite Kid, Dos Caras, and Kuniaki Kobayashi

Match Thoughts: For such a simple match, I had so many different reactions to it. First the sad reaction... Dynamite Kid physically looked terrible. He talked in his book about being in no condition to fight (this was his last match), and he was absolutely right. Just from looking at him I would have thought he was a cancer patient. I wish there was a bright end to the story, but Dynamite Kid is now in a wheelchair. Watching his career go from all the incredible matches he had in the 80s to this final match is one of the saddest things I have seen in wrestling. Aside from that, I was also shocked that Mil Mascaras of all people was flying around the ring like it was the 70s again, and Dos Caras matched him move for move. Add in the bumpablitiy (is that a word?) and high flying antics of Great Sasuke and this was a pretty entertaining match. The six-man set-up was a good idea, as it allowed the older stars to strut their stuff and when they got tired they could tag in the work horses Great Sasuke and Kobayashi. While I admit that the condition of Dynamite Kid did put a damper on things for me because I am a big fan of his, I still enjoyed the match, it was better then I was expecting. Score: 7.0

Hamada, Delfin, Tiger Mask, Naniwa, and Yakushiji vs. Teioh, Togo, Funaki, TAKA, and Shiryu
I am warning you now that this will be the longest match play-by-play that I will ever type… over half an hour of insane action. Can’t wait. Yakushiji and Togo start things off. Tie-up, waistlock by Togo, reversed by Yakushiji, they trade positions, but Yakushiji sends Togo to the mat with an armdrag. They circle each other, takedown by Togo, reversed by Yakushiji, and again Yakushiji armdrags Togo to the mat. They trade shots again, but they come to a stalemate and both men tag out. Now we have Tiger Mask against TAKA. Tiger Mask goes for a series of low kicks, but TAKA steps out of the way. Kick by Tiger Mask, scoop slam, but he allows TAKA back to his feet. Another kick and scoop slam by Tiger Mask, he goes off the ropes, but TAKA catches him with a clothesline. TAKA misses with a dropkick when Tiger Mask gets back to his feet and Tiger Mask sends TAKA out of the ring. Tiger Mask prepares for a dive, but TAKA moves and Tiger Mask swings himself back in the ring. Tiger Mask tags in Gran Naniwa and Teioh comes in for TAKA. They circle each other, tie-up, side headlock takedown by Teioh, but Gran Naniwa quickly gets out of it. Back up, Irish whip by Teioh, Gran Naniwa hits a hard shoulderblock, but Teioh tells Gran Naniwa to do it again. Gran Naniwa goes off the ropes and goes for a monkey flip, but Teioh does a cartwheel so that he lands on his feet. He tags in Funaki while Gran Naniwa tags in Hamada. Side headlock by Funaki, Hamada Irish whips out of it and takes down Funaki with an armbar. It is quickly broken up by Teioh, Irish whip by Teioh on Hamada, Teioh gives Hamada a back bodydrop, but Hamada lands on his feet. Funaki grabs Hamada from behind and holds him for Teioh, but Hamada ducks and Teioh hits Funaki on accident. Running facebuster by Hamada, scoop slam on Teioh, and he tags in Super Delfin. Club to the back by Super Delfin, and Teioh falls out of the ring. Shiryu takes his place, and Shiryu kicks Super Delfin in the chest. Irish whip by Super Delfin, both men do a series of reversals, but Super Delfin gets the better of it and he clotheslines Shiryu to the mat. Super Delfin goes off the ropes again and delivers a flying headscissors. Shiryu catches Super Delfin with an inverted atomic drop and kicks Super Delfin out of the ring (and into the crowd). Gran Naniwa comes in for Super Delfin and Shiryu tags in TAKA. Teioh and Gran Naniwa trade blows, and Gran Naniwa dropkicks TAKA in the back. TAKA gets back up quickly, they trade slams, but Gran Naniwa nails a clothesline. Irish whip by Gran Naniwa to the corner, but when he goes for the bulldog, TAKA throws him off. Gran Naniwa still gets the better of TAKA, throws him out of the ring, gets a running start, but rolls himself back in the ring instead of doing a dive. Gran Naniwa tags in Yakushiji and Teioh comes in for TAKA. Dropkick by Yakushiji, he applies an armbar, but throws Teioh into the corner and hits a chop. Teioh doesn’t appreciate it though and heaves Yakushiji out of the ring. He goes out after him, but Yakushiji quickly rolls back in the ring. Teioh follows him back in and throws him out of the ring again. Again Yakushiji gets back in the ring as Teioh comes out and Yakushiji delivers a flying headscissors under the bottom rope down to the floor. Yakushiji tags in Hamada as Togo comes in for Teioh.

Hamada and Togo trade strikes and headbutts, but Togo drops Hamada with a dropkick. Irish whip by Togo, but Hamada catches him with a hurricanrana for a two count pinfall. Tiger Mask comes in for Hamada as TAKA stays in the ring, Irish whip by TAKA, reversed, and Tiger Mask hits a twisting strike. Kicks by Tiger Mask, Irish whip, and he delivers a back kick. TAKA rolls out of the ring, and now we have Funaki facing off with Super Delfin. Dropkick by Super Delfin, Irish whip from the corner, reversed, but Super Delfin delivers a headscissors. Super Delfin kicks Funaki out of the ring, but Funaki walks around back to his corner so Super Delfin tags in Yakushiji while Shiryu comes in for Funaki. Both wrestlers bounce off the ropes, but Shiryu hits a back bodydrop. Irish whip by Shiryu, but Yakushiji connects on an armdrag followed by a headscissors. Shiryu rolls out of the ring and TAKA comes in for him. Armdrag by Yakushiji on TAKA, and a dropkick sends TAKA out of the ring. Yakushiji tags in Gran Naniwa as Togo comes in the ring. Gran Naniwa and Togo trade slaps, but Togo hits a rolling senton from the top turnbuckle. Togo throws Gran Naniwa into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, and Gran Naniwa hits a back breaker. Togo rolls out of the ring and Hamada tags in Tiger Mask as Teioh comes in. Side headlock by Tiger Mask, Teioh Irish whips out of it and plants Tiger Mask with a DDT. Irish whip by Teioh, but Tiger Mask lands on his feet when Teioh attempts a back bodydrop and hits a back kick. Flip kick by Tiger Mask in the corner and he hits another back kick, sending TAKA from the ring. Tiger Mask tags in Yakushiji as Funaki comes in the ring. Irish whip by Funaki, but Yakushiji shoulderblocks him down. Spinning elbow by Funaki, Irish whip, but Yakushiji hits a hiptoss. Armdrag by Yakushiji, and Funaki falls out of the ring. Yakushiji tags in Hamada as TAKA comes in the ring. Irish whip by Hamada and he hits a lariat. Backdrop suplex by Hamada, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Hamada and Super Delfin and they delivers back elbows. Super Delfin stays in and nails a delayed brainbuster on TAKA. Cover, but it only gets a two count as Shiryu comes in the ring. Super Delfin throws Shiryu into the corner, tags in Gran Naniwa, and they hit a double elbow. Snap suplex by Gran Naniwa on Shiryu and he applies a stretch hold, but Shiryu makes it to the ropes. Irish whip by Gran Naniwa, but Shiryu reverses it and does a double leg takedown. He then holds Gran Naniwa down on the mat, TAKA runs in and puts Gran Naniwa in a camel clutch, and finally Togo comes in the ring and dropkicks Gran Naniwa in the face. Funaki comes in the ring, Irish whip on Gran Naniwa, and he applies an abdominal stretch while TAKA dropkicks him in the face. All five men hit elbow drops on Gran Naniwa and pose in the ring, but Funaki stays in. Funaki tags in Togo, Irish whip by Togo and he flips Gran Naniwa to the mat. Togo hits a scoop slam, and all of his team mates come off the top rope with various strikes on Gran Naniwa. Funaki and TAKA then hit simultaneous dropkicks and they all pose on top of Gran Naniwa. Irish whip by TAKA on Gran Naniwa to the corner, and he and Funaki double team Gran Naniwa. Funaki picks up Gran Naniwa and tags in Shiryu. Kick to the gut by Shiryu and he hits a scoop slam. He slaps Gran Naniwa, but Gran Naniwa slaps him back and floors him with a clothesline. Gran Naniwa tags in Yakushiji, Irish whip by Yakushiji on Shiryu and he delivers a dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Yakushiji picks up Shiryu, Irish whip from the corner and he hits another dropkick.

Another Irish whip, but this time it is reversed and Shiryu hits a clothesline. Capture brainbuster by Shiryu, cover, but Tiger Mask breaks it up. Tiger Mask grabs Shiryu, Irish whip from the corner, reversed, but Tiger Mask hits a rolling crossbody. He knocks Shiryu out of the ring and TAKA comes in for him. Tiger Mask goes for the cross armbreaker, but Togo quickly breaks it up. Snapmare by Togo and he goes for the mask, but Hamada comes in to break it up. He is rewarded for his troubles when TAKA and Teioh hit him with a spike piledriver, cover by Teioh, but it gets a two count. Teioh picks up Hamada and delivers a delayed suplex. Cover, but Hamada kicks out. Teioh tags in Funaki, and he chokes Hamada in the corner with his team mates. Back suplex by Funaki, cover, but it gets a two count. Hamada manages to tag in Gran Naniwa, who kicks Funaki low. Gran Naniwa crotches Funaki over the top rope and tags in Super Delfin. Club to the back by Super Delfin and he punches Funaki against the ropes. Butterfly suplex by Super Delfin, cover, but it only gets one. Funaki knocks Super Delfin off his feet and tags in Togo. Togo applies the Scorpion Deathlock, but Tiger Mask breaks it up. Tiger Mask is then teamed up on in the corner and they go for the mask again, they almost get it off, but Tiger Mask pulls it back on. Big boot by Teioh and Tiger Mask is double dropkicked from the apron. Teioh tags in TAKA, double Irish whip, and they hit a double clothesline. Cover by TAKA, but it gets a two count. TAKA applies a crab hold, but Gran Naniwa runs in and breaks it up. Backbreaker by Gran Naniwa on TAKA and he goes for the crabwalk, but TAKA gets up and dropkicks him over the top rope down to the floor. TAKA does a fake dive, but Yakushiji runs in and dropkicks him. Mounted punches by Yakushiji, but TAKA gets him in the corner and Teioh hits him with a big boot. Full nelson slam by Teioh, but it gets a two count. Teioh hits a snap suplex, Shiryu comes off the top rope with a body press, cover, but Yakushiji kicks out in time. Back suplex by Shiryu, cover, but again Yakushiji kicks out. TAKA is tagged in, and he throws Yakushiji into the corner. Irish whip, but Yakushiji ducks a strike attempt by Funaki and hits a super kick on both Funaki and TAKA. Irish whip by Yakushiji on TAKA, and he hits a spinning back kick. Yakushiji tags in Super Delfin and he fights off a rush of attacks. He finally singles out Shiryu and nails him with a spinning backbreaker. Super Delfin tags in Hamada and TAKA comes in the ring. Irish whip by Hamada and he hits a spinning slam. Cover, but it gets a two count. Powerbomb by Hamada, cover, but Funaki breaks it up. Yakushiji comes in to take care of Funaki, Funaki goes for a suplex, but Yakushiji lands on his feet and hits one of his own. Moonsault by Yakushiji, but the pin attempt is broken up. Togo and Teioh are Irish whipped into each other, and they are put in a submission hold in a circle by Tiger Mask and Gran Naniwa. Super Delfin then delivers a hurricanrana to Shiryu in the middle of the circle for a two count. Gran Naniwa’s team sends three of Togo’s teams for an Irish whip, but all three reverse it with a hurricanrana. When they fall out of the ring, Teioh, Shiryu, and Togo all sail out after them with simultaneous tope suicida.

Funaki and TAKA then fly out of the ring themselves, with TAKA hitting a moonsault from the top rope. Tiger Mask and Shiryu get back in the ring, and Shiryu plants him with a tombstone. Shiryu goes up top and nails a moonsault, cover, but Yakushiji breaks it up. Teioh kicks Yakushiji, Irish whip, and Shiryu catapults Yakushiji to Teioh who delivers a powerbomb. Teioh hits a scoop slam, Togo goes up top, but Tiger Mask kicks him off. Hamada jumps down on Togo on the outside, while in the ring Yakushiji hits a double dropkick on Teioh and Shiryu. Yakushiji and Tiger Mask then jump out of the ring with their own unison tope suicidas. Back in the ring, TAKA goes for a springboard attack, but Gran Naniwa dropkicks him in the midsection on his way down. Super Delfin grabs Funaki, and they both hit reverse DDTs for a two count cover. Super Delfin and Gran Naniwa knock their opponents out of the ring, go to the top turnbuckle, and hit plancha down onto Funaki and TAKA. Togo and Hamada resume the action in the ring, and Togo hits a powerslam. Cover, but it gets a two count. Togo picks up Hamada, Irish whip, but Hamada knees him when he runs in and hits a tornado DDT from the second rope. Cover, but Togo kicks out. Hamada puts Togo on the top turnbuckle, hits a hurricanrana, cover, but it is broken up by Shiryu. Gran Naniwa runs in and gives Shiryu a tornado DDT, puts him up top again, but Shiryu gains the advantage and hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Gran Naniwa quickly rolls up Shiryu, but he gets a two count as well. Kick by Gran Naniwa and he hits a gutwrench powerbomb. Cover, but Teioh breaks it up. Yakushiji runs in the ring and hits a spinning heel kick on Teioh, Irish whip by Yakushiji, but Teioh catches him with a powerslam. Cover, but Yakushiji kicks out at two. Another Irish whip, but Yakushiji hits a back kick. Teioh returns fire with a clothesline and hits a big boot in the corner. Chokeslam by Teioh, cover, but Tiger Mask breaks it up. Funaki comes in the ring and goes for a back suplex on Tiger Mask, but Tiger Mask lands on his feet. Funaki still manages to kick Tiger Mask in the midsection and nails a fishermen’s brainbuster. Cover, but Tiger Mask kicks out. Funaki picks up Tiger Mask and goes for the tombstone, but Tiger Mask reverses it into a tombstone piledriver of his own. Tiger Mask goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt. Cover, but Funaki kicks out. Tiger Mask goes for a tiger suplex, but TAKA comes off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick, sending both men flying out of the ring. In the ring, Super Delfin hits a piledriver on TAKA, he goes to the top turnbuckle and hits an elbow drop. Cover, but TAKA kicks out. Tornado DDT by Super Delfin, he picks up TAKA and gives him another one. Delfin Clutch by Super Delfin, but Togo breaks it up. Togo goes for a clothesline on Super Delfin, but Super Delfin ducks it and nails a German suplex with a victory roll for a pin attempt, but Teioh breaks it up. Yakushiji throws Teioh out of the ring, and Hamada comes off the apron with a tornado DDT on him. In the ring, Super Delfin has Togo in a double underhook, but Togo hits him with a low blow. Togo picks up Super Delfin and hits a powerbomb followed by a big senton off the top turnbuckle. Cover, and he gets the three count pinfall! Your winners: MEN’S Teioh, Dick Togo, Sho Funaki, TAKA Michinoku, and Shiryu

Match Thoughts: My initial reaction the first time I saw this match (I watched it three times to make sure I didn't miss anything) was that it was a giant cluster with a lot of random moves and no rhyme or reason. But when I watched it again, I noticed that it really was the team that was a real "team" against a team that was not a cohesive unit. Teioh's team had so much team work together, some of it simple and some of it complicated, that you could tell that they were on the same page from the start of the match to the end. This is what would eventually help them win. As in real life, a team that has worked together and knows each other will do better then a team that has not worked a lot together, regardless of how good the members of the team are. Just ask the Canadian hockey team. Beyond that though, I can't agree with the sentiment that this is a classic match, since there really was no rhyme or reason to it outside of the heels working together so well. With the loose tag rules used in Michinoku Pro, the first 15 minutes were people jumping in and out at will, and I tend to enjoy matches more that have structure to them. Don't get me wrong, I thought the match was very entertaining, they all hit their spots extremely well. But there just too many repeated moves (I think five Tornado DDTs and four tombstone piledrivers) and too little structure for me give this the "classic" label. But it certainly earned the "very entertaining" label with the quick action, smart team work, and near flawless execution of moves. Score: 8.0

Hayabusa vs. Jinsei Shinzaki
They size each other up to start the match, tie-up, Hayabusa goes for Shinzaki’s arm, but Shinzaki throws him off. Back kick by Shinzaki, and he chops Hayabusa into the corner. Irish whip, reversed, but Shinzaki catches him with a savate kick to the chin. Stomp to the back by Shinzaki and he chops him into the corner before ramming him back and forth into opposite corners. Scoop slam by Shinzaki and he nails the reverse slam for a two count pinfall. Shinzaki applies a shoulder nerve hold, Hayabusa struggles to his feet, but Shinzaki forearms him in the back of the head. Chop by Shinzaki, Irish whip, but Hayabusa does a moonsault at the turnbuckle and lands over Shinzaki’s head. Shinzaki goes for a chop, but Hayabusa ducks it and kicks Shinzaki out of the ring. Hayabusa then gets a running start in the ring and sails out onto Shinzaki with a somersault tope suicida while landing on his feet. Hayabusa rolls back into the ring and Shinzaki eventually follows. Hayabusa kicks Shinzaki as he gets on the apron, but Shinzaki blocks a punch and does the praying rope walk all the way to the opposite side of the ring before jumping down with a strike on Hayabusa. Hayabusa crawls out to the apron, he blocks a punch by Shinzaki and comes back in the ring with a springboard spinning heel kick. Cover, but Shinzaki easily kicks out. Hayabusa picks up Shinzaki and hits a swinging neckbreaker. An armbreaker is applied by Hayabusa, but Shinzaki gets a foot on the ropes and Hayabusa has to break the hold. Stomp by Hayabusa, he picks up Shinzaki and hits a scoop slam in front of the corner. Hayabusa hits a quick reverse splash off the top turnbuckle, cover, but it only gets a one count. Hayabusa applies a reverse chinlock, he picks up Shinzaki, Irish whip, and he delivers a jumping heel kick. Leg drop by Hayabusa and he kicks Shinzaki in the back of the head. Back kicks by Hayabusa, and Shinzaki falls out of the ring. Shinzaki gets back up, and Hayabusa nails him with a springboard moonsault off the side ropes. Hayabusa throws Shinzaki back in the ring and hits a springboard senton followed by a back flip splash for a two count pinfall. Scoop slam by Hayabusa, he goes to the top turnbuckle, but Shinzaki gets back up. Hayabusa kicks him back though and hits a spinning heel kick from the top turnbuckle. Brainbuster by Hayabusa, he goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the 450 Splash. Cover, but Shinzaki barely kicks out in time. Hayabusa picks up Shinzaki and plants him with a powerbomb. Cover, but again it gets two. Again Hayabusa picks up Shinzaki and hits a Tiger Driver for another two count. Hayabusa hits a Falcon Arrow in front of the corner, goes up top for the Phoenix Splash, but Shinzaki rolls out of the way in time. Hayabusa rolls out to the apron and goes for a springboard attack, but Shinzaki catches him and hits a powerbomb. Irish whip by Shinzaki and he nails a dropkick on Hayabusa. Cover, but it gets a two count. Shinzaki quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and hits Hayabusa with a diving chop. He goes up top again and this time delivers a flying shoulderblock. Cover, but again it gets a two count. Shinzaki hits Hayabusa with the praying powerbomb, but Hayabusa kicks out at two. Shinzaki drags Hayabusa to his feet, Irish whip, but Hayabusa collapses from his injured knee (from missing the splash). Backbreaker by Shinzaki, he goes to the top turnbuckle, but comes back down when Hayabusa moves. Powerbomb by Shinzaki, Shinzaki goes up top, and he hits the diving headbutt. Again Shinzaki ascends the top turnbuckle and delivers another diving headbutt. A third time he goes up and hits a third diving headbutt. Hayabusa slowly gets back to his feet and tries to use Shinzaki’s body to help him stand, but Shinzaki grabs him and nails a praying crucifix powerbomb. Cover by Shinzaki, and gets the three count pinfall. Your winner: Jinsei Shinzaki

Post match: Shinzaki helps Hayabusa to his feet, but Hayabusa has trouble standing. Great Sasuke comes down to the ring and shakes hands with Shinzaki and they seem to be talking about Hayabusa. They help Hayabusa back to his feet and many of the wrestlers from Michinoku Pro come in the ring and they all raise their hands.

Match Thoughts: Definitely a unique match, and even though it worked in storyline it would baffle most people that had not watched puroresu before or did not know what was going on. Hayabusa had been injured for a good deal of 1996, mostly from wrestling in death matches in FMW, and since returning he had been on a losing streak. Losing streaks are taken pretty seriously in Japan (such as Tanahashi's recently in New Japan) and are built up over a long period of time. Shinzaki was not the "bad guy" here, and at times looked hesitant to even hurt Hayabusa, even though he knew he had to. The crowd was solidly behind Hayabusa, but they were not reacting negatively to Shinzaki either.

In the end, Shinzaki helped up Hayabusa, demonstrated that he respected his determination in the match. Hayabusa gave Shinzaki everything he had, but Shinzaki was simply too powerful and was a tier higher then Hayabusa. So it was an odd main event and since Shinzaki's moves tended to lack heat it made the match come off even stranger, but they achieved their goal of putting over Hayabusa as the tough and determined wrestler stuck in a losing streak. In mid-1997, Shinzaki would actually come to the aid of Hayabusa in FMW where they would form a tag team, so there was a long-term purpose to the match as well. I would have liked to have seen a more evenly spread out match (since it had 5 minutes of Hayabusa dominating then quickly transitioning to Shinzaki dominating until the end of the match), and while I do not think it was a great match since it was too bizarre to be, it was an effective match nonetheless and helped lead to future interactions between Hayabusa, Great Sasuke, and Shinzaki. Score: 6.0

Final Thoughts:

Well there it is.... "These Days" in a lot of ways personifies everything that Michinoku Pro was during their heyday. You could usually count on a few "odd" wrestlers on their big shows, a few legends, at least one fast paced high flying match, and a meaningful main event. Was it a perfect show? Not at all, but it accomplished what Great Sasuke wanted it to and in that regard it has to be considered a success. There was only one bad match on the card, and every match was so different (a British rules match, hard hitting match, legends match, fast paced match, and storyline-driven match all on one card) that there is bound to be something here that you'd like. I'll be giving away this show in a contest next week, so check back and enter if you think it is something you'd like to watch. I can't give the show my highest recommendation because the main event was so bizarre, but it still had a lot of good matches and you can't go wrong with this event.

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