Post by UNION of SPORTS! on Mar 12, 2019 9:17:30 GMT -5
TOUKON ROAD: EUROPA RUSH!
Day 2
3/12/2019
Berlin, Germany
It was a bit of a lower-than-expected turnout here in Berlin, Germany. But for the 5,000 fans who showed up at Schlachtshiff Memorial Arcade, by the end everyone was on their feet and fans outside of the arena, many of whom were apparently overseas subscribers to RYUUSEI Satellite Rado which broadcasts MJPW events in full, were pounding on the tour and trying to get inside to see the conclusion.
Also, before the match, there were rumors of a rather sturdy looking fighter hanging around the arena. A group of fans said to themselves, "I've seen that guy before, but I just don't know where..." before watching the imposing figure disappear inside. But the show was starting before we dig into things, leaving no time for answers...
ZENKI and Shigeru Toyama
vs.
Jacob Hammerstein and Balloon Yamazaki
By far the focus of this match was on ZENKI and Jacob Hammerstein. These two have always had something of a rivalry, most recently with the American Monster defeating ZENKI in the semifinals of the 2018 J1 SUMMIT. In a battle of speed and power, ZENKI’s shifty maneuvers – such as attempted shining wizards – would not move the bigger Hammerstein, who at one point captured him after an attempted hurricanrana and powerbombed him into the mat for a 1-2-2.999 count!
As the match continued, MAX Dojo’s very own superheavyweight judoka, Balloon Yamazaki, would attempted to put away “Starboy” Shigeru Toyama, who would eventually escape a corner splash to tag in the crafty ZENKI. The former champ would initiate an assault on the right leg of Yamazaki and eventually twist his trunk-like legs into a Figure 4 Leglock and force the big man to tapout!
With ZENKI picking up his second straight fall on the tour, he said that he had been experimenting with new maneuvers after wrestling with Yama “the God of Death” before MAX-J left India on the last tour. For his part, Hammerstein helped Yamazaki in the back and offered him words of encouragement. Yamazaki told the cameras that he felt Hammerstein gets a bad rap in the Japanese media because of the popularity of the gaijin-hating Demon Brigade and respects him a great deal.
Tokyo Zombie
vs.
Sam Bass
In a match that was a borderline clinic for Zombie’s puroresu karate, Bass struggled to get any offense going. At one point, Zombie began blocking chops from Bass with his feet before catching him with a German suplex hold to get the 1-2-3.
Mushigahara and Hiro Minamoto
vs.
GRIM and Umetaro Sakamoto
Those who watched Day 2 of MAX-J’s GOLDEN FLEECE series may recall that it was GRIM, the Demon Brigade lieutenant and currently #3 ranked wrestler on the TOUKON ROAD, who managed to pick up a fall over MAX Heavyweight Champion “God-Beast” Mushigara. Well, it was the champ who was out for blood tonight, targeting GRIM with heavy palm strikes and chasing the slithering King of the Dead for most of the night.
When Sakamoto got into the ring, Mushigahara tagged in Minamoto, and a wrestling clinic began. The top two MAX Dojo fighters began a test of strength that went to the ground and featured a back-and-forth of grounded headlocks, headscissors, and armbar attempts that had the grappling heads in the crowd utterly drooling.
As the match wore on, so did the intensity. In the end it was Mushigahara catching Sakamoto in his Argentine neckbreaker ~ the Atlas Cutter ~ to pick up the victory for his team.
Shinjiro Nakama and Chris Ravenna
vs.
James Edwards and Ryan Henderson
Henderson would make his long-awaited debut in MAX-J with James Edwards against Nakama and Ravenna. Unfortunately, he’d be the one to take the loss when Ravenna used the Artikulo Uno to put a foot nearly through his head and get the win.
Edwards and Ravenna, who will fight on the next show as Ravenna defends the Junior Heavyweight Championship, mostly kept it cautious, not mixing it up as it seemed that neither man wanted to reveal any strategy to the other in a match that is becoming highly anticipated.
World Tag Team Championship
Go Gensai and Frank Dylan James (c)
vs.
Alexander Irvine and TBA
The three fighters were all standing in the ring. There had not been an announcement made at all. When the guitars in the intro of “Columbia” by Oasis, the fans screamed like mad knowing that it was the entrance theme of Julian Cutlass, MAX freelancer and Irvine’s best friend and tag partner!
Irvine grinned like a kid in the candy store, rubbing his hands together as he readied himself for the match. But the grin on Irvine’s face disappeared in a jiffy when it was not Julian Cutlass who emerged...
Instead it was...
...
...
- AJ Knight, Irvine’s chief rival! These two met in the quarterfinals of the Royal Road Championship tournament which saw Irvine grab a handful of tights with a schoolboy pin to pick up the win over the Millennial Knight. A month later it appeared they were on the same time with the bloodthirsty GHOST ARMY standing across the ring from them.
Irvine and Gensai would start us off, with Gensai procuring a takedown but getting caught in a full guard from the Unnatural. Gensai’s attempts to pass guard would fail and eventually allow Irvine to secure the mount and beginning raining down knife-edged chops to the skull of Gensai who would cover up and eventually buck him off.
FDJ’s entrance into the ring would prompt AJ to extend a hand to tag him in as a fresh competitor, but Irvine waved it off and remained in the ring. Whatever he had planned to deal with the West Virginia giant, it didn’t work as FDJ would back him into the corner with chops, hit him with a towering vertical suplex, and then throw him over to AJ’s corner with laughter!
AJ tagged himself in by slapping Irvine’s shoulder and began hitting a series of low roundhouse kicks to the knee of FDJ, when Irvine grabbed him and spun him around and told him to “never try that s*** again!” The two of them had the beginnings of an NSFW conversation when FDJ ran over and double-clotheslined the both of them! He’d do the same thing to AJ as he did to Irvine. Chops to the corner, a towering vertical suplex – but when he would lift AJ up in a military press, the Millennial Knight would twist and fall into an inverted DDT that would cut the big man down to size! He’d pin but only get a two-count and then apply a rear chin lock to slow down the pace of the match.
FDJ would fight out of it and get to his feet, going for a big boot, but missing as AJ tagged in Irvine while rebounding off the ropes! AJ would slide between the legs of the Mastodon of the Mountain as Irvine rushed in with a running forearm smash ~ THE BATTLE CRY ~ putting the big man on his back! He’d go for the pin!
1…
2…
3-GENSAI with a stomp breaks up the pin!
The referee would warn Gensai to stay in his corner and the Pale General protested that AJ and Irvine had just double-teamed his partner. The ref sent AJ back to his corner as Irvine kept up the assault, sitting up FDJ and hitting him with roundhouse kicks to the small of the back, wearing down the big man. Irvine would get him up to his feet and go for the Evenflow DDT ~ it connected! BUT FDJ got up in a mad flash as though it didn’t even affect him and slapped a paw around Irvine’s throat before a hit him with a chokeslam and collapsed!
The two men would crawl towards their respective corners. Irvine would… make it! AJ would coming rushing in as FDJ reached out and…
…
…
He tagged in Gensai! The Pale General ventured in like a menace, flying at AJ with a running forearm smash that he converted fluidly into a SAKA OTOSHI! AJ backflipping onto his head had him straight out cold as Gensai went for the cover!
1…
2…
3-IRVINE DOUBLE AXE HANDLE MAKES THE SAVE!
The referee, sensing that shouted at the men that if any one of them attempted to make a save again, he would call them for a disqualification. “This is not America! You are not Mr. Trump!” he yelled in broken English at Irvine to some much-needed laughter and applause from the German crowd.
The action would remain white-hot even as the match breached the twenty-minute mark. Gensai’s brutal style chipped away at AJ. He would have AJ prone on his stomach and go for a rear naked choke and be unable to get the hooks in so he started elbowing boxing him on the side of the head with open-hand strikes and putting him in a camel clutch!
AJ would be struggling in a world of hurt and reach out for Irvine, who extended an arm as far as he could, but it wasn’t quite enough! Gensai laughed demonically and stuck out his tongue at Irvine as he wrenched back on the hold! Poor AJ used his free hand to try and pry off Gensai’s fingers… and… he couldn’t do it! He remained trapped!
Sensing the end, Irvine reached over, leaning his waist into the top rope and, though not entering the ring, began swiping at Gensai who bobbed and weaved with his head! Gensai laughed, apparently enjoying the game, but allowing AJ grab his fingers and free himself of the hold! Gensai got up and hit an elbow smash against Irvine, knocking him off the apron and onto the floor! Gensai would turn around and ~ SUPERKICK! The smack would echo as Gensai’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he laid out flat and AJ hooked the leg!
1…
2…
3!!!!!!
WAIT!! Gensai got the shoulder up at the last millisecond!
The fans couldn’t believe it as AJ clutched his hair in disbelief. But he readied himself for more offense as he tossed Gensai into the ropes and endeavored to hit a Knightfall DDT ~ but Gensai would reverse and hit a roaring elbow and then launched himself across the ring to tag in FDJ!
The Mastadon was white hot as he knocked down AJ with a big boot! FDJ roared as he began ascending the ropes… he was going for his Top Rope Knee Drop ~ the MTKD! ~ as the fans got up to their feet. He beat his chest and ~ Irvine’s grabbed the top rope and FDJ went down hard with his groin area landing on the top turnbuckle! The referee glared at him and Irvine held up his hands that he was only climbing back onto his side of the apron and using the top rope for support.
AJ was back on his feet and began to ascend to the top rope as this match pushed beyond the half-hour mark as announced by ring PA, Burton Fask. AJ nailed FDJ with a few elbows ~ but it only seemed to wake up the big man who grabbed him by the throat and – AVALANCHE-STYLE CHOKESLAM!!!!! The entire ring shook and groaned as Gensai, Irvine, and the referee all held on for dear life expecting the squared circle to collapse. But the MAX-J ring remained sturdy as FDJ covered for the pin!
1…
2…
3!!!!!
NO!!!! AJ KICKED OUT!!!
No one in the arena could believe it as an HO-LY-SHIT! chant began. Gensai placed a forehead on the ropes as FDJ looked over at him. Gensai requested a tag and FDJ dragged AJ by an arm over to their corner and the Pale General entered the match. Gensai taunted a corpselike AJ for a minute or two and hit some stomps before getting him up to his feet ~ and putting him in the position for the Gensai-style piledriver! Gensai nearly had it ready when AJ sprung to life and tossed him for a back body drop and tagged in Irvine! The Unnatural entered like a wrecking ball, first targeting FDJ with a basement dropkick that caused FDJ to fall off and hit his head on the apron! Irvine would chamber a heavy running facekick ~ but Gensai would catch it and roll into a heel hook!!
The match would cross over into the forty-minute mark and Irvine would spend that milestone caught in Gensai’s patented hold. The Unnatural would crawl as Gensai heled on tight, at times rolling to keep him away from the ropes. But at each point Irvine would battle back. And yet…
… he struggled…
… but crawled…
… yet struggled…
… as Gensai cackled! …
… and crawled…
… And Irvine tags in AJ!
AJ springboarded himself over the top rope and attempting a Sakuraba-style leaping stomp on Gensai’s face ~ he missed as Gensai rolled out of the way. As Gensai got up to his feet, AJ went for the superkick ~ but Gensai caught it and took him down with a heel hook!
BUT WAIT!
AJ would roll like a crocodile to get out of it before Gensai could get the hook secured and AJ would rebound against the ropes and hit a dropkick into Gensai’s chest that would send the back of his head into an Irvine elbow strike! Gensai would turn around and ~ AJ would get him in a full nelson ~ and dump him on his head with a DRAGON SUPLEX HOLD WITH A PICTURE… PERFECT… BRIDGE! The ref would count.
1…
FDJ would stir on the outside…
2…
FDJ would reach for the bottom-rope…
… and collapse!
3!!!!!!!!!
THE BELL SOUNDS!!
The fans couldn’t believe it, AJ and Irvine couldn’t believe it, but here tonight in front of a crowd of 5,000 fans, two of wrestling’s biggest rivals had somehow defied the odds to become the World Tag Team Champions!
After the match, AJ would collapse with his share of the World Tag Team Championship draped across his chest. He wouldn’t stir for several minutes and would require assistance from the medical staff and, yes, even a begrudging Alexander Irvine would help him to the back, both of them pausing to the fans in the Schlachtshiff Memorial Arcade to hold the World Tag titles in the air to the roar and applause of the crowd as the feed to the show faded black.
- RECAP -
TOUKON ROAD: EUROPA RUSH! – Day 2
Date: 3/12/2019
Location: Schlachtshiff Memorial Arcade, Berlin, Germany
Attendance: 5,000 fans (83% capacity)
1. ZENKI and Shigeru Toyama defeat Jacob Hammerstein and Balloon Yamazaki (11:54) via submission when ZENKI uses a Figure 4 Leglock on Yamazaki.
2. Tokyo Zombie defeats Sam Bass (7:13) via pinfall with a German suplex hold.
3. Mushigahara and Hiro Minamoto defeat GRIM and Umetaro Sakamoto (13:28) via pinfall when Mushigahara uses the Atlas Cutter on Sakamoto.
4. Shinjiro Nakama and Chris Ravenna defeat James Edwards and Ryan Henderson (14:10) via pinfall after Ravenna pins Henderson after the Artikulo Uno.
5. World Tag Team Championship: Alexander Irvine and AJ Knight defeat Go Gensai and Frank Dylan James (c) (47:45) via pinfall after Knight uses a dragon suplex hold on Gensai to become the 11th champions.