All Japan 8/31 Tokyo, Nippon Budokan Results with Goldberg
    Submitted by Calvin Martin on Saturday, August 31, 2002 at 5:35 PM EST


    Report by Zach Arnold
    http://www.puroresupower.com

    All Japan ran their August 31st rally at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, claiming 14,800 paid. Results:

    1. Nobukazu Hirai defeated Ryuji Hijikata in 7 minutes, 1 second with the Rock Bottom (uranage).

    2. Mike Rotunda, Johnny Smith, & Gran Naniwa defeated Masa Fuchi, Gran Hamada, & Kazushi Miyamoto in 16 minutes, 19 seconds when Smith used his "British Fall" finisher (reverse DDT) on Miyamoto for the win. Smith was one of Miyamoto's main wrestling teachers.

    3. Abdullah the Butcher & Kendo Ka Shin defeated Yoji Anjoh & Mitsuya Nagai in 9 minutes, 32 seconds when Butcher hit an elbow drop on Nagai and Ka Shin took the pinfall win. The match was done in a wild- style brawl with some harder-edged comedy spots. Finish saw Ka Shin attempt to throw powder (which he grabbed from underneath the ring) in Nagai's face, setting up Butcher to nail his elbow drop for the three count. After the match, Nagai said that he was going to crush Ka Shin on the upcoming Fan Tour and get revenge. Nagai said that he is not a wrestler who performs in comedy matches, but rather more serious- style matches like Toshiaki Kawada. Nagai called Ka Shin "a pitiful man."

    4. Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, & Jimmy Yang defeated Magnum Tokyo, Susumu Yokosuka, & Darkness Dragon in 13 minutes, 39 seconds when Dragon Kid used a swan dive-style hurricanrana on Yokosuka for the win. The match had a lot of heat, but Ultimo Dragon (sitting at ringside watching it) said that his guys performed at around 70% of the level they are capable of in terms of putting on a high-end match.

    5. Brian Adams & Bryan Clarke defeated Tomoaki Honma & Yuto Aijima in 5 minutes, 55 seconds when Adams pinned Aijima after a double- team chokeslam.

    6. Mike Barton & Jim Steele defeated Shigeo Okumura & Hideki Hosaka in 4 minutes, 10 seconds when Barton used a high-angle powerbomb on Hosaka for the win.

    7. Satoshi Kojima defeated Nobutaka Araya in 12 minutes with a lariat. After the match, Kojima gave a long interview talking about his loss to Goldberg yesterday. Kojima said that the important thing about his loss to Goldberg was that he studied what he did wrong and that he will improve on his wrestling ability. Kojima said that there are some wrestlers who take their time (like Tenryu or Hase) and others who don't waste time (like Goldberg). Kojima said that he feels that he is a top wrestler like Mutoh, Tenryu, Kawada, Goldberg, and Taiyo Kea and that they will all eventually be his targets. Kojima said that starting today, he would be opening up a new chapter in his wrestling career in All Japan.

    8. Bill Goldberg defeated Taiyo Kea in 3 minutes, 56 seconds with a modified powerbomb. Goldberg made his traditional WCW-style entrance with smoke and fireworks. When Goldberg came to the ring, the Japanese signboard inside of Nippon Budokan said: "Taiyo Kea (in Japanese) vs. GOLDBERG (in bold English letters)." Like his previous match with Satoshi Kojima, Goldberg dominated Kea power-wise. Goldberg immediately attacked Kea with a right-armed lariat. Kea attempted to hit Goldberg with several kicks, but Goldberg swatted them away and tried to stretch Kea out. The finish saw Kea attempting more kicks and Goldberg catching Kea's leg, lifting Kea up, and then powerbombing him for the three count. Goldberg's new gimmick is that he is neither going to use his spear or Jackhammer. Goldberg says that the reason he is doing this is because so far, his matches have been short and that he wants to show off all of his various moves on offense. Goldberg said that he hopes that the Japanese fans are patient and that when the times come to use the spear and Jackhammer, he will do it. Toryumon owner Ultimo Dragon (who was in attendance for an undercard tag match involving five of his workers) approached Goldberg backstage at the TV area and talked to the Japanese wrestling media. Dragon said that Goldberg showed perfect skills and that he (Goldberg) didn't show any ring rust that a person who was off for two years from the wrestling business would normally have. Goldberg said that he respected Ultimo Dragon a lot, but that Dragon was a bit shorter than he was (a rib). Goldberg said that if Ultimo Dragon needed anything from him, he would be more than willing to help him out.

    9. In a five-on-five elimination tag match, Gen'ichiro Tenryu & Steve Williams (with teammates Arashi, Kouki Kitahara, & Masao Orihara) defeated Keiji Mutoh, Hiroshi Hase, Jinsei Shinzaki, George Hines, & Kaz Hayashi in 37 minutes, 59 seconds when Williams eliminated Mutoh to win the match for his team. Elimination pinfalls went as follows:

    - Kitahara over Hayashi with a crab-submission hold.
    - Arashi over Hines with a frog splash.
    - Shinzaki over Orihara with a powerbomb.
    - Williams over Shinzaki with a Doctor Bomb.
    - Hase over Kitahara with a Northern Lights Suplex Hold.
    - Tenryu over Hase with a brainbuster (playing off of yesterday's singles match finish when Tenryu used the same move on Hase to win).
    - Mutoh over Arashi with a Frankensteiner.
    - Williams over Mutoh with the dangerous back drop suplex.

    After the match, Mutoh said that he thinks the idea of Tenryu being in power of All Japan as "mortifying" and that he wants to overthrow the WAR army soon. Hase said that Mutoh's losing the battle because he has too much burden on his shows and that redividing of BATT-team powers needed to occur to ensure that the WAR team would be overthrown.

    --

    Of note: There is strong talk of Bill Goldberg & PRIDE's big monster, Bob Sapp, being a team entry for All Japan's 2002 Real World Tag League. All Japan's 10/27 Nippon Budokan show will be the promotion's 30th anniversary show. The promotion is interested in having Terry Funk face Abdullah the Butcher.

    Also, a major portal web site in Japan has created a
    database for Goldberg (it's a big deal) at:
    http://www.prowrestle.tv/goldberg/database.html


    http://www.puroresupower.com




    9/3: HUGE Update on The Undertaker's WM Streak! Which WWE RAW STAR Is Going To End It, Storyline, TONS MORE!! Read Now!

  • Quick Links -
    [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]