JPW TRADITION Begins Here
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 1, 2008
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For many years there was a reverence whenever the words Japan and professional wrestling were put together. This great sport is back in the Land of the Rising Sun with a spectacular event at the world famous Tokyo Dome, featuring superstars from Japan, the United States, Canada and Mexico. On the show tonight are 32 wrestlers who will be in the JPW singles and tag team championship tournaments which begin this Sunday and will run the month of February. The finals will take place Feb. 29 at Wrestle Kingdom.
Hiro Saito/Toru Tanaka def. Dick Slater/Buzz Sawyer by DQ
The opening tag team match went back and forth and out to the floor. Slater hit Saito with a piledriver for a two count. Sawyer then powerslammed him for another nearfall. Sawyer is out of control with violent headbutts, but Saito doesn't go down. Saito made a tag to Tanaka. They double teamed Slater and a german suplex by Saito put him down. The teams continued to battle it out until Sawyer lost it again and battered Tanaka with the chain and would not stop. The referee was forced to call a disqualification.
"Lionheart" Chris Jericho def. Akira Nogami
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Jericho gets off to a fast start with a running bulldog and puts Nogami in the Walls of Jericho. Nogami was able to fight Jericho off for awhile, but Lionheart was relentless and Nogami submitted to the Walls of Jericho.
In the ring: Jericho took the mic after the match. "I just wanted to say how proud all of us in TRADITION are to be in Japan for the next month and take part in the JPW championship tournaments. I'm also very happy to see Bret Hart here as well and others from the Pacific Northwest. Hart, you and I have a lot of unfinished business. Those transactions I plan to complete here in Japan. I want to make you hurt. I want to make you submit. I want you in a Submission match? How about it pally? Myself and the Canadian Thrillseekers are ready for some six-man matches, so why not next week you get three of your PNW guys together and we'll start the month by hurting them."
Terry Funk def. Stan Stasiak
Funk and Stasiak fought on the floor the opening moments of the match before finally getting in the ring. Funk set Stasiak up for the spinning toe hold with a backbreaker. Stasiak kicked out after a piledriver. They went back and forth before Funk got the win with spinning toe hold.
Rocky Mountain Cruiserweight Championship
Tiger Mask (ch) def. Mistico
The match started out fast paced and dead even until a back suplex and twisting moonsault by Tiger Mask. He is the first to take to the air, hitting Mistico on the outside with a tope suicida as both men crash into the railing. Mistico is crushed by another dive to the outside and nearly counted out. The Tiger Suplex pins Mistico and Tiger Mask retains the Rocky Mountain Cruiserweight title.
PNW Tag Team Championship
Wild Samoans def. Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen
As expected, this one was a real hard-hitting fight that went back and forth. The Samoans doubleteamed both men, but Hansen hit Sika with the lariat. He wound up for a second one but didn't get the pin. The Samoans crush Hansen with their tag finisher, but Brody breaks up the pin. Brody and Sika fall to the floor, and Afa drops a headbutt on Hansen for a three count. The Wild Samoans are the new PNW tag team champions!
Rikidozan def. Kensuki Sasaki
Sasaki opens up the match with several big power moves. Sasaki maintained total control of the match. Rikidozan exploded out of the corner with huge chops that sent Sasaki down to the mat for the three count.
Tatsumi Fujinami/Riki Choshu def. The Blackjacks
The Blackjacks started out by working over Choshu. Fujinami came in with a Dragon Backbreaker and went right for the cover on Mulligan. A Dragon Suplex got another two count. One more time put Mulligan down for the three.
Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue/Bret Hart def. Masahiro Chono/Hiroyoshi Tenzan/Gene Kiniski
Kawada and Taue opened the match working against Chono and Tenzan. It was even until Kawada powerbombed Tenzan. Kiniski got the tag and repeatedly slapped Kawada in the face. He tagged out to the Hitman. The teams settled into a great six-man tag with back and forth action. Kiniski headbutted Hart and tossed him to the floor. The Hitman made it back before the 10 count. Tenzan came in but missed a diving headbutt. Kawada traded blows with Chono. Taue then crushed Chono with the Dynamic Bomb to end the match.
Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi def. Shinya Hashimoto/Great Muta
Early on Misawa used the Emerald Fusion on Hashimoto, but Muta landed the Moonsault on Kobashi. After some tagging in and out, Kobashi powerbombed Hashimoto into the turnbuckle and got the pin.
Lou Thesz/Ed Lewis def. Mil Mascaras/Dos Caras
Right after the match started, Thesz and Mascaras collided with the referee, knocking him out. Shortly after that another referee took his place. The four men struggled to gain an upperhand until Mascaras caught Thesz off the top rope. The Luchadors worked much better as a team, but finally Lewis got his sideheadlock on Mascaras. Caras hit Lewis off the top, but the next time the Strangler moved. The Thesz Press held Caras down for the pin.
Antonio Inoki/Billy Graham def. Giant Baba/Dory Funk Jr.
Inoki started against Baba, and tagged in Graham who put on the bearhug. Graham and Inoki tagged in and out and had Baba down for some nearfalls. Dory finally got a tag and quickly put Inoki in the spinning toe hold. Funk fought off both opponents. Inoki and Graham really turned up the pressure on Funk. After feeling the bearhug, Inoki nailed Funk with the enzuigiri, but Baba came to break up the pin. Baba got the tag but couldn't get Graham down for a cover. Funk saved Baba from the bearhug and then Superstar chased him outside the ring. Baba hit Graham coming back into the ring. Graham fought off both men before slamming Funk on the floor. Inoki then forced Funk to submit in the octopus hold.
Road Warriors def. Jumbo Tsuruta/Genichiro Tenryu
Tsuruta started the match and took control against Animal. Tenryu kept up the offense and Animal was in a lot of trouble until Tenryu missed off the top rope. The Road Warriors slowly started turning things around. They set Tsuruta up for the Doomsday Device but Tenryu stopped the move. A double clothesline sent Jumbo down and the Warriors pulled out the win.