TOUKON ROAD SIDE STORY: THE GOLDEN FLEECE - Day 2

Edwards and Cendana kept up their winning ways, with the Burning Heart smoking Yamazaki with his deadly PK-inspired finisher. FDJ after the match said he was proud of Yamazaki but told the young and burly judoka he needed to discover the deep, dark fire within him and that the Ghost Army woud help him with this task.

Mushigahara vs. Nakama saw the two new champions duke it out, with numerous tests of strength breaking in both fighters’ directions. The behemoths’ managers, Eddie Dante and Arnold Cunningham, respectively, were at each other’s throats on the outside. Inside, the match would continue, and it was Mushigahara who caught veteran Ishii with his Atlas Cutter to advance. After the match, many of the fans chanted “WE-WANT-NAKAMA!” and clapped, a sign of “Mountain” Shinjiro’s burgeoning popularity.

Finally, GRIM and newest “Demon Brigade dojo disciple” Shachimon won when ZENKI and Musket began arguing on the outside and started to scuffle, ultimately getting counted out and ending what many thought would be a prosperous run. Apparently, Mike Musket seemed to think that ZENKI was sandbagging him against the Demon Lord’s two fellow Demon Brigade members. While ZENKI laughed and dismissed this notion, Musket turned to anger and that’s when the two had it out.



In the semifinals, we saw a lot of Gensai vs Edwards. The grappler got the upper hand early but it was the noted striker who fought back. Minamoto and Gensai displayed much teamwork against the more thrown-together team of Edwards and Cendana, frequently isolating the two men. However, Cendana hit a flying cross body block to the outside on a recuperating Gensai that allowed Edwards to isolate Minamoto and catch him with a Tiger suplex hold to make it to the finals.

GRIM and Shachimon took on the new MAX Heavyweight Champion and judoka legend Sawamura. The new champ showcased why we are now in the Era of the God-Beast, throwing around GRIM like a ragdoll and military pressing him outside of the ring. He had more trouble another former sumo, Shachimon. The two engaged in much sumo action, which allowed GRIM to sneak attack Mushigahara with a Kinshasa.

Shachimon and GRIM then each ascended to the top rope, SHACHIMON hitting a frog splash and GRIM leaping for a diving headbutt, allowing GRIM to pin the champ for the 1-2-3! The stunning upset had the fans apoplectic, especially when Mushigahara finally sat up and red mist covered his face, undoubtedly used by GRIM during the attack.



In the final round, Edwards and Cendana used some key tag teaming action. In particularly, Cendana used his Filipino torture rack on GRIM as Edwards springboarded off the middle rope for a discus big boot! The two came within an inch of victory, but GRIM got his shoulder up at around the 2.9999 count.

Shachimon did his best, but was certainly outclassed against either the Burning Heart or the “Filipino Muscle Master” Cendana. Nevertheless, the dojo student took a licking but just kept on ticking, surviving a flurry of backfists by Edwards and then responding with a sumo palm strike to give himself some distance and tag in a fresh GRIM!

GRIM came in with spinning roundhouse kicks against Edwards and Cendana, clearing them out of the ring as the Demon Brigade zealots got rowdy as they sensed victory was near. But when GRIM and Edwards finally got back in the ring, GRIM attempted to pounce for a rear naked choke to the stunned Burning Heart, but instead ate a spinning backfist, dropped to the mat and then got jacked up by the Violent Gospel! Edwards would pin for the…

1…

2…

3!!!!!!

WAIT! GRIM got a foot on the rope!

In fact, it was Shachimon who had dropped to the outside, hurriedly lumbered around the ring and managed to move GRIM’s foot to the bottom rope. Edwards went for it again, but GRIM ducked it and somehow got up to his feet and hit a Kinshasa and got the…

1…

2…

3!!!!!!!!

NOPE! Edwards kicked out.

GRIM and Edwards both crawled to their corners… it was Edwards to made it first and… GRIM never made it! Cendana came rushing in ~ but GRIM caught his leg with a GRIM clutch and took him to the ground! Shachimon and Edwards both entered, but Shachimon used his sumo skills to push back the lighter Edwards as Cendana tapped out!

The fans, especially the Demon Brigade zealots, applauded the victory as GRIM and Shachimon received the tournament trophies and the All-Mediterranean Tag Team Championship belts. ZENKI and Tokyo Zombie also emerged to congratulate their fellow Brigade members on bringing gold back to the world-renowned faction.

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After the show, GM Sano thanked the wonderful crowds of Thessaloniki, Greece and promised that the company would make sure the All-Mediterranean Tag Team Championship would be defended on Greek soil when TOUKON ROAD hosts a show in Athens during mid-March.

While Sano told the press after the show that he would officially release the cards for EUROPA RUSH! tomorrow on 3/1, he did offer a few nuggets:

- He seemed very impressed with the world-renowned striker “Burning Heart” James Edwards, noting that he’d reached the finals of both tournaments, distinguishing himself as both a singles and tag team wrestler. He said that while the championship committee still had much to discuss, it seems unlikely that he would be left off the contenders’ list.

- Wondering aloud, he said that “only a unique duo of impressive esteem” he thought could come together to defeat the current World Tag Team Champions, the GHOST ARMY of Go Gensai and Frank Dylan James. He said there were some unusual names being banded about and that fans would probably be surprised.

- Lastly, he commented on the Era of the God-Beast now that Mushigahara has become the 4th MAX Heavyweight Champion. While he thinks that the new champion is a physically impressive specimen and certainly has earned his way to the top, he cautioned that one should not discount the sub-heavyweight fighters, many of whom have a grit and toughness beyond mere physical size. The fact that Mushigahara was pinned tonight after a double attack led by the Demon Brigade's GRIM shows that even the mighty can fall. 


1. Argonaut Tag League - Quarterfinals: Go Gensai and Hiro Minamoto defeat AJ Knight and AGAMEMNON (13:12) via pinfall when Minamoto uses a brainbuster on AGAMEMNON.
2. Argonaut Tag League - Quarterfinals: James Edwards and Hercules Cendana defeat Frank Dylan James and Balloon Yamazaki (9:11) via pinfall after Edwards uses the Violent Gospel on Yamazaki.
3. Argonaut Tag League - Quarterfinals: Mushigahara and Yoshihiro Sawamura defeat Shinjiro Nakam and Toru Ishii (11:40) via pinfall after Mushigahara uses the Atlas Cutter on Ishii.
4. Argonaut Tag League - Quarterfinals: GRIM and Shachimon defeat ZENKI and Mike Musket (15:58) via countout when both ZENKI and Musket are counted out.
5. Argonaut Tag League - Semifinals: James Edwards and Hercules Cendana defeat Go Gensai and Hiro Minamoto (14:55) via pinfall when Edwards uses a Tiger suplex hold on Minamoto.
6. Argonaut Tag League - Semifinals: GRIM and Shachimon defeat Mushigahara and Yoshihiro Sawamura (17:44) via pinfall after GRIM pins Mushigahara after a combined frog splash-poison mist diving headbutt attack from GRIM and Shachimon.
7. Argonaut Tag League - Final: GRIM and Shachimon defeat James Edwards and Hercules Cendana (21:22) via submission when GRIM uses the GRIM clutch on Cendana to become the new champions.