WRESTLE-1 “VERY SHINING! ~ LEGEND Korin”
A Review by Kevin Wilson

Date: June 7th, 2015
Location: Kobe Sanbo Hall in Hyogo, Japan
Announced Attendance:  1,007

I guess Muta and Kabuki had so much fun last time they wanted to do it again!  This isn’t a big event but it does have a title match and the usual crew from WRESTLE-1.  And the Great Muta, in case I didn’t mention that.  Here is the full card:

- Kumagoro vs. Masayuki Kono
- Buffalo and Jay Freddie vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue and Seiki Yoshioka
- Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio vs. Otokozakari
- Masakatsu Funaki, Hama, Murase, and Ashino vs. Masayuki Kono, SAKAMOTO, El Hijo del Pantera, and Punisher Big Brute
- Hideki Suzuki, NOSAWA Rongai, and MAZADA vs. Shuji Kondo, KAI, and Kaz Hayashi
- WRESTLE-1 Cruiserweight Championship: Minoru Tanaka vs. Hiroshi Yamato
- AKIRA, Manabu Soya, and Andy Wu vs. Great Muta, Great Kabuki, and TAJIRI

Let’s get the party started.

Kumagoro vs. Masayuki Kono
They jockey around to start and trade waistlocks, Kono pushes Kumagoro into the ropes and he gives a clean break.  Side headlock by Kono on the mat, Irish whip by Kumagoro but Kono hits a shoulderblock.  Scoop slam by Kono, cover, but it gets two.  Irish whip by Kono and he hits a hard back elbow, but that also gets a two count.  Single leg crab hold by Kono but Kumagoro gets into the ropes.  Vertical suplex by Kono, he goes off the ropes but Kumagoro catches him with a Samoan Drop.  Kono avoids Kumagoro’s senton attempt and Kono hits a chokeslam for a two count.  Crab hold by Kono but Kumagoro gets to the bottom rope.  Irish whip by Kono, he hits a Neck Hanging Bomb and he picks up the three count!  An interesting way to start, Kumagoro is a rookie and it was a straighter match than usual for Kono without any shenanigans.  Nothing wrong with it but pretty flat.

Buffalo and Jay Freddie vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue and Seiki Yoshioka
Buffalo and Nakanoue start off and Buffalo works the headlock to start.  Shoulderblock by Buffalo and he trades chops with Nakanoue until Nakanoue hits a shoulderblock.  Buffalo tags in Freddie and Nakanoue tags in Yoshioka.  They trade headlocks and Freddie hits a shoulderblock followed by a dropkick.  Elbow by Yoshioka and he hits a jumping kick, sending Freddie out of the ring.  Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Freddie, he picks up Yoshioka and he hits a back elbow for a two count.  Freddie picks up Yoshioka and he tags in Buffalo.  Buffalo elbows Yoshioka and he hits a snap vertical suplex.  Buffalo tags Freddie back in and Yoshioka is hit with a double headbutt.  Knee by Freddie to Yoshioka and he hits a gutwrench suplex.  Freddie tags in Buffalo and Buffalo hits a leg drop over the bottom rope.  Dropkick by Buffalo and Buffalo clubs Yoshioka in the back.  Yoshioka and Buffalo trade strikes, Yoshioka goes off the ropes but Buffalo applies a sleeper. Club to the chest by Buffalo, cover, but Nakanoue breaks it up.  Buffalo picks up Yoshioka and he tags in Freddie, Freddie picks up Yoshioka and he hits a headbutt.  Backdrop suplex by Freddie but Yoshioka kicks out of the cover.  Freddie picks up Yoshioka and knees him in the chest, but Yoshioka delivers a jumping heel kick and tags in Nakanoue.  Nakanoue elbows both Freddie and Buffalo and he hits a jumping lariat on both of them.  Suplex by Nakanoue to Freddie, cover, but Freddie kicks out.  Nakanoue goes off the ropes but Freddie hits a roaring elbow.  Backdrop suplex by Freddie and he tags in Buffalo.  Missile dropkick by Buffalo, he throws Nakanoue into the corner but Nakanoue boots him back and hits a jumping elbow.  Yoshioka comes in and hits a jumping knee on Buffalo followed by a tornado DDT.  Irish whip by Yoshioka, Buffalo avoids the scissors kick and he levels Yoshioka with a lariat.  Backdrop suplex by Buffalo, cover, but Yoshioka gets a shoulder up.  Buffalo tags in Freddie, lariat by Freddie and Buffalo hits a lariat.  Diamond Dust by Freddie, cover, but Nakanoue breaks it up.  Freddie picks up Yoshioka but Yoshioka slides away and hits a tilt-a-whirl armbar.  Diving elbow drop by Nakanoue, Yoshioka picks up Freddie and he nails the S.K. for the three count.  This was a pretty good match, Freddie seems to have acclimated himself well and I am a big Buffalo fan.  Nakanoue is only good when he is fired up so he was mostly a non-factor here but overall it was still a fun mid-card encounter.  Mildly Recommended

Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio vs. Otokozakari
Otokozakari pushes Kuroshio into the ropes but he gives a clean break.  Wristlock by Kuroshio and he kicks Otokozakari in the butt.  Irish whip by Otokozakari and he hits a shoulderblock.  Another shoulderblock by Otokozakari and he hits a hip attack, sending Kuroshio out of the ring.  Otokozakari goes out after him and they fight around the ring, mostly scaring the crowd.  Back in the ring Kuroshio hits a missile dropkick to Otokozakari, he slams Otokozakari in front of the corner and he hits an Arabian Press for a two count.  Kuroshio picks up Otokozakari, Otokozakari goes for a hip attack but Kuroshio blocks it and hits an enziguri.  Vertical suplex by Kuroshio, cover, but Otokozakari bridges up out of it.  Back kick by Kuroshio but Otokozakari slaps at him and he hits a spinebuster.  Giant Swing by Otokozakari and Kuroshio’s jacket flies off, which I see as a success.  Otokozakari tries to put on Kuroshio’s jacket but it won’t fit, Otokozakari goes up top but Kuroshio shakes the ropes.  Kuroshio picks up Otokozakari and goes off the ropes, Otokozakari picks him up and Kuroshio goes for a sunset flip.  Kuroshio grabs at Kuroshio’s mawashi and the referee…. calls for the bell.  I don’t really know what happened at the end except that Kuroshio was declared the winner.  I like Otsuka when he wrestles as himself, not so much when he wrestles as Otokozakari.  Just a waste of a match, it doesn’t even matter what the ending was as it wasn’t entertaining one way or the other.

Funaki, Ryota Hama, Murase, and Ashino vs. Kono, SAKAMOTO, El Hijo del Pantera, and Punisher Big Brute
It takes a few minutes for this match to pick-up, as they took turns doing not a whole lot for the first half of the match.  Of course when it was Ashino’s turn things didn’t go well, as he quickly became the Face in Peril.  DESPERADO takes turns on Ashino with his teammates occasionally coming in to help, but generally speaking Ashino isn’t having a good time.  Brute in particularly seems to be having fun headbutting Ashino in a variety of ways.  Powerbomb by Brute, but Ashino finally gets away and hits a dropkick which gives him time to tag in Hama.  Hama hits a body avalanche in the corner and then hits a running butt smash.  Eye rake by Brute, he goes for a shoulderblock but Hama doesn’t budge.  They end up shoulderblocking each other to the mat, Brute tags in Kono while Funaki is also tagged in.  Funaki kicks Kono in the chest and Funaki hits a PK.  Cover, but it gets two.  Funaki goes for the Hybrid Blaster but it is broken up before he can hit the move, and Funaki is triple teamed in the corner.  Vertical suplex by Kono to Funaki, cover, but it gets two.  Jumping knee by Kono to Funaki, but Ashino breaks up the pin.  Knees by Kono but Funaki kicks him and tags in Ashino.  Why Ashino.  Ashino elbows Kono and finally knocks him off his feet, and Murase hits a missile dropkick on Kono.  Body press by Hama, elbow drop by Ashino but it gets a two count.  Kono elbows Murase off, Pantera kicks Ashino from the apron and Kono hits a backdrop suplex.  Brute comes in the ring and chokeslams Ashino, cover by Kono but Funaki breaks it up.  Neck hanging bomb by Kono, cover, but Ashino barely gets a shoulder up.  Running knee by Kono, and finally he gets the three count.  This was a perfectly acceptable faction brawl but nothing really special.  It allowed DESPERADO to look strong without making the good guys look weak, since Ashino took the bulk of the beating and even he had some spots now and then so he wasn’t squashed.  Pretty solid, I wish there was something within it I could recommend but it went a bit too long and wasn’t incredibly interesting.

Hideki Suzuki, NOSAWA Rongai, and MAZADA vs. Shuji Kondo, KAI, and Kaz Hayashi
MAZADA and Hayashi start off, they bounce off the ropes until MAZADA knocks Hayashi to the mat.  Stomp by MAZADA but Hayashi flips out of the corner and hits an armdrag.  Headscissors by Hayashi to MAZADA, NOSAWA comes in but Hayashi knocks him out of the ring with a heel kick.  MAZADA rolls back in, Irish whip by MAZADA to Hayashi but Hayashi hits a backbreaker.  MAZADA tags in Suzuki as Kondo is also tagged in, side headlock by Suzuki but Kondo Irish whips out of it.  Kondo and Suzuki try to knock each other over with no luck, until Kondo shoulderblocks Suzuki to the mat.  Suzuki gets back up and they trade strikes, Kondo manages to tag in KAI and KAI trades elbows with Suzuki.  Suzuki goes off the ropes but KAI dropkicks him to the mat.  Suzuki punches KAI in the face and both NOSAWA and MAZADA come into the ring to stomp on KAI.  Suzuki tags in MAZADA, snapmare by MAZADA and he chokes KAI.  KAI gets up and elbows Suzuki while he is on the apron, but Suzuki elbows him back.  MAZADA applies a chinlock to KAI, NOSAWA comes in and they double team KAI.  MAZADA picks up KAI but MAZADA knocks him back, big boot by KAI and he tags in Hayashi.  Irish whip by Hayashi and he elbows MAZADA into the corner, Hayashi slams MAZADA to the mat and he hits a quebrada.  Hayashi picks up MAZADA but MAZADA hits a low blow and snaps off a DDT.  MAZADA charges Hayashi but Hayashi kicks him back and hits a reverse STO into the turnbuckles.  Hayashi tags in Kondo, and they both double team MAZADA.  Cover, but it is broken up.  Suzuki hits a backbreaker on Kondo and NOSAWA follows with a Shining Wizard, cover by MAZADA but it gets two.  MAZADA and NOSAWA go off the ropes and dropkick Kondo, but KAI runs in and hits an enziguri on Suzuki.  Suzuki shrugs it off and hits a double arm suplex on KAI, then NOSAWA and MAZADA hit a double flapjack on Kondo for a two count.  Handstand kick by Hayashi to NOSAWA, then Hayashi sails out of the ring with a tope suicida onto NOSAWA.  MAZADA goes off the ropes but Kondo catches him with the Original.  King Kong Lariat by Kondo, and he picks up the three count!  The most interesting thing here is that Suzuki seemed to only be able to be damaged by Kondo, he just shrugged off everyone else.  Too much MAZADA and NOSAWA here to be good but it wasn’t below average. A bunch of average to slightly above average matches here so far, we’ll see how the next two go.

(c) Minoru Tanaka vs. Hiroshi Yamato
This match is for the WRESTLE-1 Cruiserweight Championship. After some introductory arm work to start, Tanaka dropkicks Yamato out of the ring but Yamato avoids the pescado. Tope suicida by Yamato and he slides back in the ring waiting for Tanaka, Yamato stomps on Tanaka and clubs him in the back. Yamato knocks Tanaka back out of the ring, he goes out after him and he throws Tanaka into the ring post. After a moment they get back in, Yamato ties up Tanaka and applies a submission hold but Tanaka gets into the ropes. Yamato goes off the ropes but Tanaka does a roll into a dropkick. Tanaka Irish whips Yamato, reversed, Tanaka kicks Yamato back and Yamato goes for a spear in the corner, but Tanaka moves out of the way. Arm trap crossface by Tanaka but Yamato gets a toe on the ropes. Tanaka picks up Yamato and hits a few elbows but Yamato catches a kick and hits a capture suplex. Yamato picks up Tanaka and hits a shoulder tackle in the corner. Yamato jumps up on the top turnbuckle but Tanaka hits him from behind and joins him. Yamato elbows him off and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets two. Yamato goes for a Northern Lights Suplex but Tanaka reverses it with a guillotine choke. Yamato gets to the ropes to force a break, Tanaka goes up top but Yamato jumps up with him and hits a spider belly to belly suplex. Yamato flips back in the ring and he hits the springboard back elbow, cover by Yamato but it gets two. Yamato picks up Tanaka but Tanaka gets the guillotine choke re-applied, but Yamato gets out of it with a suplex. Northern Lights Suplex by Yamato, but Tanaka kicks out.

Yamato picks up Tanaka and snaps off a German suplex, German suplex hold by Yamato but it gets a two count. Yamato picks up Tanaka but Tanaka hits a Samoan Drop. Tanaka dropkicks Yamato, he picks him up and puts him on the top turnbuckle, Tanaka joins him but Yamato headbutts him off. Yamato goes for a diving crossbody but Tanaka dropkicks him in the chest on the way down. Tanaka puts Yamato back up top again and this time he hits an avalanche Fisherman Buster. Yamato gets back up but Tanaka hits an overhead suplex, he gets up again but this time Tanaka hits a dragon suplex. Jumping kick by Tanaka, cover, but Yamato kicks out. High kick by Tanaka but Yamato blocks the next one and hits a lariat for a two count. Yamato picks up Tanaka and goes for a suplex but Tanaka reverses it. Kick to the head by Tanaka, he goes up top and he hits a diving footstomp. Cover, but it gets two. Tanaka drags Yamato to his feet, he nails the Tornado Kaki Cutter and he gets the three count! Minoru Tanaka is still the champion. This was good but it unfortunately never went past that. There was a lot of solid action and Tanaka is still really good, it was just missing something to make it feel special. Yamato’s no selling was a bit excessive although for title matches it is not as big of a deal. Overall entertaining but not Tanaka’s best title match. Mildly Recommended

AKIRA, Manabu Soya, and Andy Wu vs. Great Muta, Great Kabuki, and TAJIRI
Soya and Muta start off the match, after going to the mat for a bit Muta rolls out of the ring to scare some children. He comes back in and Soya ends up tagging in AKIRA. TAJIRI is also tagged in as the legal man and they jockey for position. AKIRA applies a headscissors on the mat but TAJIRI pops out of it and they return to their feet. AKIRA tags in Wu, Wu gets TAJIRI to the mat with a hammerlock but TAJIRI fights back to his feet. Wu tags in Soya, AKIRA comes in too and they double team TAJIRI. Soya chops TAJIRI down in the corner as the beatdown continues, but TAJIRI gets away after Wu is tagged in and he makes the hot tag to Kabuki. Kabuki punches Wu in the corner, snapmare, and he applies a reverse chinlock. Armbar by Kabuki and he tags in Muta. Muta kicks Wu in the ribs and he hits the Flashing Elbow for a two count. Wu dropkicks Muta in the knee however and then hits another dropkick, Muta falls out of the ring but Wu hits a pescado. Muta regains the advantage on the outside and he throws Wu into the ring post. Muta rips at Wu’s mask while in the ring Kabuki attacks AKIRA. Soya comes in and clubs on TAJIRI as Muta and Wu return, the referee tries to chastise Muta but Muta pushes him to the mat. Wu elbows everyone and gets a nunchuck, but Muta spits mist in his face for his trouble. Muta tags in TAJIRI, kneedrop by TAJIRI and he punches Wu. TAJIRI and Muta both choke Wu until AKIRA runs in to help, but he gets jumped also. TAJIRI chops Wu in the corner and tags in Muta, and Muta hits a dragon screw on Wu followed by the figure four leglock. Wu gets to the ropes and he hits a jumping kick on Muta, giving him time to tag in Soya.

Soya lariats Muta in the corner and he hits a bulldog, cover by Soya but it gets two. Soya picks up Muta and hits a delayed vertical suplex, Irish whip by Soya but Muta rolls under the lariat and hits a dropkick. Muta tags in TAJIRI, kicks by TAJIRI to Soya but Soya hits a lariat and tags in AKIRA. Irish whip by Soya but TAJIRI hits the handspring elbow. Back up, jumping lariat by AKIRA and he tags Wu. Wu goes up top but flips off, superkick by Wu and he hits a tornado DDT. Bodyscissors by Wu into a face crusher, cover, but TAJIRI kicks out. Wu goes off the ropes but TAJIRI hits a back kick and tags in Kabuki. Wu punches Kabuki as AKIRA and Soya both run into the ring, and all three attack Kabuki. Kabuki ducks Soya’s lariat which causes Soya to hit AKIRA, then Kabuki punches down AKIRA and Wu. Kabuki applies a sleeper to Wu but it is broken up, Kabuki is thrown into the corner and is triple teamed. Kick/Lariat combination by AKIRA and Soya, kneedrop by Wu but TAJIRI breaks it up. AKIRA and Soya get the red mist from Muta and TAJIRI, but Wu dropkicks Muta. Wu dropkicks TAJIRI and Kabuki as well, he goes up top but when he jumps off he gets the triple mist from the trio. Buzzsaw Kick by TAJIRI, Muta hits a Shining Wizard and Kabuki finishes with the throat thrust for the three count! My main complaint is simply that the match is longer than it needs to be. People want to see Muta and company do cool stuff, I understand it can’t be a two minute match but it doesn’t need to be a 16 minute match either. The action was generally solid but a bit dull, the ending was some quality fan service but since they just did this same style of match a month ago it would have been nice to see something different. A decent main event for a smaller show like this one but it wouldn’t have worked on a more important show.

Final Thoughts:

This wasn't a great overall effort by WRESTLE-1, although to be fair it wasn't designed to be an important show. Most of their bigger wrestlers were tied up in midcard multi-man tag matches, and the main event was a fun nostalgic match that had no chance of being good by traditional measures. I was hoping for more out of Yamato/Tanaka, that was the only match that had potential to be memorable and it wasn't. I like Muta/Kabuki teaming but they just did it last month with a lot of the same spots, some things are better a bit more spread out. Not much to see here, definitely a show you can safely skip.

Grade: D-

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event reviewed on 6/19/15