LOW - Legends of Wrestling

[Pariah]

Another excellent offering on the road to IWA Genesis and WrestleCade IX... So much going on!

My favorite match was between the former tag partners, London and Kendrick... Not sure what wire has shorted out in London's brain, but it's providing some entertaining moments...

Crimson Cross already summed up the Andre vs. Albano scenario perfectly... You can feel the intensity and something very bad seems bound to happen...

Must have been very tough to make those cuts for the final IWA roster... But, it looks great and I have no doubt it will wind up being a colossal hit... Excellent work, as always!

[EpicDave]

More great action from the Master of Great Action! So much to cover in Genesis and WrestleCade!

I'll be pulling HARD for Shaun Ricker to win the contract.

Wolves vs. reDRagon could main event any arena on the planet.

If anybody can dethrone Melissa and Sara... it would have to be the Ninjas!

Lufisto and Sherri in a Dog Collar Match?!? It doesn't get any more extreme than that!

And to top it all off... Snuka vs. Valentine and Thesz vs. Brazil.

Fans, we are about to witness the finest wrestling on the planet!

[joebreakdown]

Your write ups are great! I am backing 'Wrestling Superstar' Virgil to finally live up to his own fantasy and be the star he thinks he is! i think this may be a pretty accurate representation of Virgil actually?!

I'm yet to book Andre, but I love how he is being used here. you do not want an angry giant on your hands and I'm hoping to see Andre V Albano one on one really soon!!

[bookerbill]

Overall I think the build to this Wrestlecade might be among the best ever. In particular, the booking outside of the main event has been fantastic.

[Kamala]

Excellent reading just excellent.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments everyone, I don't know what to say. I am really humbled by the show of support from this great community. It has been a blast building to both the IWA debut and WrestleCade IX, I'm not sure I have ever had so much fun rolling the dice. Putting that IWA roster together was very difficult as I wanted to mix it up with guys from all sets so of course some key names got left out. The cool thing is that I will cycle guys in and out to keep things fresh and like always the color indy cards might pop up on Kings Road United tours in Japan. Speaking of KRU, next up is the start of the Road to the Gold tournament to decide challengers for LOW World tag team champions the Midnight Express at the Tokyo Dome. Hope you enjoy the action...

LOW Kings Road United - Road to Tag Team Gold – First Round - Korakuen Hall - Tokyo, Japan (Card #892)

1) Midnight Rockers (#9 seed) vs. The Sheepherders (#8 seed) was a DDQ:
The opening match in the first round served notice that this was going to be an intense tournament as the Midnight Rockers (Stan Lane & Marty Jannetty) took on The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams), who were accompanied by their flag bearer Ken Doane. The Sheepherders got off to an aggressive start getting the heat on Lane as Jannetty hoped for a tag. When the tag finally came it was the Rockers rebounding with consecutive near falls on Williams. Those came courtesy of a Rocker Dropper by Jannetty and a Superkick by Lane. As the battle built up in intensity they wound up on the outside several times and ultimately the match ended in a double disqualification with all four men trading blows. That meant that the winners of the next match would automatically draw a bye into the semi-final round.

2) John & Chris Tolos (#7 seed) defeated Valiant Brothers (#10 seed):
The Hamilton Wrecking Crew of the “Golden Greek” John Tolos & Chris Tolos took on the Valiant Brothers (Jimmy “Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant & “Luscious” Johnny Valiant) in a battled of rugged heel teams. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan did not make the trip to Japan so the Valiant Brothers, who will be teaming with Heenan against the Poffo Family at WrestleCade IX, were on their own. Both teams fought aggressively from the opening bell particularly knowing that a win would get them a bye into the semi-final round. The Tolos Brothers nearly put away Johnny after combining on the Flying Knee Drop but he managed to kick out of the pin. Jimmy took the fight to the “Golden Greek’ and trapped him in the Sleeper Hold but that was broken up in the ropes. The finish of a torrid battle saw John Tolos get the better of “Luscious” Johnny and pinning him with the Flying Knee Drop as Chris prevented Jimmy from making the save.

3) Giant Baba & The Destroyer (#6 seed) defeated Masked Superstar & Big John Studd (#11 seed)
This battle of KRU roster members saw the popular team of Shohei “Giant” Baba & The Destroyer take on the Masked Superstar & Big John Studd. Only one word can describe this match – epic! Both teams were on point and the match could have gone either way. They fought in and out of the ring in an intense battle that nearly went the time limit. A great sequence saw the Superstar score a two count on The Destroyer with the Spinning Neckbreaker. Studd then tagged in and hoisted The Destroyer up into the Backbreaker as the Superstar prevented Baba from making the save. Somehow The Destroyer was able to absorb the punishing hold and kick off of the ropes to escape. All four men looked strong building to the finish which saw Baba lay out the Superstar with the Baba Chop. That left the masked in a vulnerable spot and Baba followed with his trademark Jumping Neckbreaker Drop to score the pin. The crowd cheered the big victory by Baba and The Destroyer as an angry Studd pulled the Superstar out of the ring helping him to the back.

4) Stars & Stripes (#12 seed) defeated New Age Outlaws (#5 seed):
Two of the more popular teams in LOW squared off as the New Age Outlaws (B.G. James & Kip James) took on Stars & Stripes (The Patriot & Marcus Alexander Bagwell). Stars & Stripes entered the match undefeated in tag team competition in the NWC but nearly tasted their first defeat. The Outlaws were clearly focused and almost had it won in the early going when B.G. hit the Pump Handle Slam on Bagwell for a big near fall. They also used the spike piledriver on both The Patriot and Bagwell leaving them in a defensive position for extended stretches. Stars & Stripes began mounting a comeback and rattled Kip with the double dropkick. The Patriot then hit both the Patriot Missile and Uncle Slam on Kip for big near falls. The Outlaws impressively staved off defeat and battled back but in the end it was Stars & Stripes getting the win. After a battle on the outside a determined Patriot mounted the top rope and came off with another Patriot Missile on Kip to score the pin. It was a huge win for Stars & Stripes who will now face Giant Baba & The Destroyer in the quarter-final round of the tournament.

5) Love Brothers (#13 seed) defeated Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon (#4 seed):
Going by the seedings this one could be termed an upset as the Love Brothers (Reginald & Hartford Love) defeated Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon. Manager Jimmy Hart did not make the trip to Japan so Mad Dog and Butcher were unable to rely on his often timely interference. The Love Brothers fought fire with fire in this one and that may have taken the Vachon’s out of their game plan. Battles were fought inside and outside and Butcher, who was busted open, was nearly pinned by the Double Slam of the Love Brothers during a heat stretch. Despite his loss of blood it was Butcher taking the fight right back to Reginald and Hartford. Mad Dog nearly scored the win when he hit the double foot stomp on Reginald for a near fall. The finish of a hard fought battle saw Hartford pick Butcher off of the top rope with a bodyslam followed up by the Neckbreaker to score the pin.

6) Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (#3 seed) defeated Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito (#14 seed):
The Miracle Violence Connection (Steve “Dr. Death” Williams & Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy) took on Mr. Fuji & Saito in another battle of KRU teams. The MVC were in rare form for this one as they pretty much dominated from the opening bell. Saito barely got any ring time in as Fuji was targeted by Doc and Gordy. In the early part of the match it was Williams nailing Fuji with a German Suplex for a two count. Gordy tagged in and caught Fuji with a back suplex for another two count. It was looking bad for Fuji when Gordy trapped him in the Oriental Spike but Saito was able to make the save. Doc kept up the attack for the MVC and with Gordy fending off Saito he hit the Oklahoma Stampede on Fuji to score the pin. It was an impressive and dominant win for the MVC who will face the Love Brothers in the quarter-final round of the tournament.

7) Fabulous Kangaroos (#2 seed) defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik (#15 seed) by DQ:
The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello & Roy Heffernan, with manager Wild Red Berry) took on the rugged team of Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik. Fred Blassie, the manager of Volkoff and Sheik in the NWC, was not at ringside but was said to be in Japan negotiating for a future appearance in KRU. Volkoff and Sheik fared well without him and almost picked up a big win over the two-time LOW World tag team champions. After the Sheik wore down Heffernan with an abdominal stretch it was Volkoff hitting the Backbreaker Drop for a big near fall. Costello turned things around for the Kangaroos and used the Marble Bor Leglock on both Volkoff and Sheik for submission chances. The Kangaroos then hit the Boomerang on the Sheik but Heffernan was late in making the cover allowing him to kick out just before the three count. Berry got involved after that drawing the ire of Volkoff and the Sheik and this one quickly broke down. They wound up fighting it out at ringside where Volkoff was disqualified for hitting Heffernan with a chair shot over the back.

8) Road Warriors (#1 seed) defeated The Mongols (#16 seed) By DQ:
A highly anticipated final match of the first round saw the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal, with manager Paul Ellering) take on The Mongols (Bepo & Geeto). With a record seven reigns as LOW World tag team champions under their belts the Road Warriors were the number one seed and clear favorites in the tournament. Bepo and Geeto knew that they needed to bring everything they had at Hawk and Animal and they did just that. The early action saw Geeto score a two count on Hawk with the Top Rope Knee Drop. The 315-pound Bepo then used a powerful bearhug on Hawk going for the submission. The Warriors bounced back with a nice attack which saw Animal come off of the top rope with a diving bodypress (ch, deathjump) on Bepo scoring a two count. They then hit the double clothesline on Geeto with Animal making the cover for a near fall. A wild battle ended when Hawk had Bepo up in the over the shoulder backbreaker going for the submission but Geeto broke that up. The Mongols then launched into a double-team attack on Hawk with Bepo breaking off to knock Animal off of the ring apron. Geeto then grabbed the chains and hit Hawk with them resulting in the disqualification decision. The victory by the Road Warriors means that they will face the Fabulous Kangaroos in the quarter-final round which will headline night two of the tour in Kobe, Japan (Card #893).

[bookerbill]

Awesome that the Rockers and Sheepherders went to the double DQ. Shades of the Crocket Cup back in the day. A couple of choice upsets have really opened things up for the top half of the draw. Hard not to pick Hawk and Animal to make the finals while in the battle half, things are really tight.

[Pariah]

As stated by bookerbill, Rockers vs. Sheepherders was an awesome opener... Unfortunate though, as I would've been rooting for them to go the distance... My loss is the gain of the Tolos brothers...

With the Kangaroos and the Road Warriors still in the mix, I'll say the winner of their face-off wins it all...

That being said, I'd love to see a couple more upsets shake things up... Always a good time!

[Crimson Cross]

You continue to deliver a different vibe for each territory and the KRU tours are becoming one of my top favorites of all of them, plus I agree with bookerbill about the Crockett vibe. I was pulling for the Mongols to win, but that LOD are hard to beat. It'll be fun to see how this KRU tour ends...

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Bookerbill, Pariah and Crimson. The KRU tours are also a favorite of mine to put together and now we have day two of the tour so let's see how things go...

LOW Kings Road United - Road to Tag Team Gold - Kobe World Hall - Kobe, Japan (Card #893)

1) Brent Albright defeated Jushin Liger:
The opening contest pitted the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger against “The Shooter” Brent Albright. The former is a record seven-time LOW Junior Heavyweight champion while the latter recently made his KRU debut after having a lengthy stay in the GWA. Albright was training extensively in the KRU dojo before making his official debut for the promotion on the last tour. He looked great in this match as he countered the speed of Liger with his arsenal of technical moves. After hitting a crushing half nelson suplex he trapped Liger in the Crowbar getting the victory via submission.

2) C.W. Anderson defeated Mad Dog Vachon:
In what could be termed an upset it was AWE star Mad Dog Vachon, accompanied by Butcher Vachon, losing to C.W. Anderson. Vachon dominated the early action and had Anderson in serious trouble including hitting the double foot stomp for a near fall. Anderson dug down deep and battled back scoring near falls with a falling Armbreaker and the Spinebuster. A second delivery of the Spinebuster saw Butcher reach in and punch Anderson in the head out of view of the referee. Vachon rolled over and covered the dazed Anderson for a two count. As the battle continued it was Vachon executing a whip into the turnbuckle but Anderson bounced out connecting with a Counter Running Lariat to score the pin. It was a huge win for the Raleigh, NC, native who has become a key member of the KRU roster.

3) Quarter-Final Round: John & Chris Tolos draw a Bye:
With The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) and the Midnight Rockers (Stan Lane & Marty Jannetty) being eliminated via a double disqualification in the opening round, the Hamilton Wrecking Crew (John & Chris Tolos) automatically advanced to the semi-final round in Osaka via a bye. The Tolos Brothers made their way into the ring for the official announcement and took great pleasure in their good fortune. John grabbed the mic and stated that he and Chris are former LOW World tag team champions and that no matter who they face in Osaka they will emerge victorious and go on to meet the Midnight Express for the titles at the Tokyo Dome.

4) Quarter-Final Round: Stars & Stripes defeated Giant Baba & The Destroyer:
The veteran KRU team of Shohei “Giant” Baba & The Destroyer took on the undefeated NWC team of Stars & Stripes (The Patriot & Marcus Alexander Bagwell) in what was a great bout. Baba and The Destroyer were dominant early and in particular had The Patriot in trouble. The Destroyer scored a submission chance using the single leg Boston Crab on his masked counterpart. Baba also looked strong hitting such moves as the 16-Mon Kick (boot to the face) and Baba Chop. Bagwell had an impressive run and scored a two count on Baba with the Yellow Jacket Suplex. The finishing sequence saw The Patriot plant Baba with Uncle Slam for a big near fall. He then came off of the top rope with the Patriot Missile to score the snake eyes pin on Baba as Bagwell prevented The Destroyer from making the save. It was a disappointing loss for Baba and The Destroyer but they showed great class shaking hands with Stars & Stripes to cheers from the crowd afterward. As a result of their win it will be Stars & Stripes taking on John & Chris Tolos in the semi-final round in Osaka, Japan (Card #894).

5) Mr. Saito defeated Geeto Mongol:
The Mongols (Bepo & Geeto) and Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito have had a brutal tag team rivalry in KRU but here it was Geeto going against Saito one-on-one. The bitter past battles between them played out here as the two went at it tooth-and-nail. Geeto was busted open late into this one but showed great resiliency surviving the punishing submission holds of Saito including the Scorpion Leglock. He also kicked out at two after being nailed with the Saito Suplex. Geeto mounted a great comeback using the Oriental Spike and Gobi Nerve Hold but then made a fatal mistake. He sent Saito into the corner and charged in but missed. That allowed Saito to execute a Counter Roll-Up while grabbing the middle rope for leverage to score the pin.

6) Harley Race, Masked Superstar, & Big John Studd defeated Rikidozan, Antonio Inoki, & Tiger Mask by Count Out:
Six-man tag team action featured Rikidozan, Antonio Inoki, & Tiger Mask taking on Harley Race, Masked Superstar, & Big John Studd. There was some tremendous action in this one particularly the early exchanges between Rikidozan and Race. Inoki looked great during his time in including avoiding a boot to the face by Studd and then connecting with a top rope kneedrop on the big man. A tag to Tiger Mask saw him with a twisting moonsault on Studd before the momentum turned. Tiger Mask took a beating from all three opponents and Studd then hoisted him up into the Backbreaker going for the submission. Rikidozan broke that up with a big chop but it was clear that Tiger Mask was in trouble. The end came when Race avoided a corner charge causing the masked man to fall out of the ring. As the referee became distracted by the others it was Race going out and delivering a Piledriver on the floor. Tiger Mask was laid out and the referee had no choice but to subsequently count him out giving the win to Race, Superstar and Studd. Tiger Mask had to be helped to the back but fortunately he was not seriously injured.

7) Quarter-Final Round: Steve Williams & Terry Gordy defeated Love Brothers:
Intense action in the quarter-final round saw the PCW team of the Love Brothers (Reginald & Hartford Love) battle the last KRU team standing in the Miracle Violence Connection of Steve “Dr. Death” Williams & Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. The Love Brothers knew that they needed to do something to combat the size and power advantage of Doc and Gordy and so they went to their great teamwork. Using quick tags, double-teaming and defensive saves they were able to take the fight to the MVC and nearly pulled off a huge win. That included scoring two big near falls on Williams using the choke with tag rope and the Atomic Drop from Reginald. Gordy was able to fend off the Love Brothers and nearly put Reginald away with the Oriental Spike. Late in the match it was Doc getting a measure of revenge for the earlier assaults as he planted Reginald with a shoulder tackle off of the ropes. He then got down in the three point stance and delivered the OU “Boomer Sooner” style Football Tackle on Reginald and scored the pin as Gordy prevented Hartford from making the save.

8) Quarter-Final Round: Road Warriors defeated Fabulous Kangaroos by DQ:
The night ended with a fitting main event as the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal, with manager Paul Ellering) took on the Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello & Roy Heffernan, with manager Wild Red Berry). The respective managers, Ellering and Berry, exchanged words in center ring during the introductions as their two teams prepared for battle. Both teams were at their best in this match which featured some quick tags and excellent teamwork on both sides. Despite the difference in overall size and power the Kangaroos more than held their own against the Road Warriors. They used their technical expertise and sometimes aggressive attacks to surprise Hawk and Animal. As expected the Road Warriors dominated for good stretches with their power moves, in particular Hawk who felled both opponents with the vertical and gut wrench suplex attacks. Neither team was able to set up for their effective finishers, the Boomerang by the Kangaroos and the Doomsday Device by the Road Warriors, so it was going to come down to a battle of will. As it turned out it was Hawk bailing out of the ring after a barrage of forearm smashes by Costello and that led to the finish. During a battle on the floor a frustrated Costello hit Hawk over the head with the boomerang and that resulted in a snake eyes disqualification decision. The Kangaroos and Berry were furious with the call but the decision stood giving the Road Warriors an important victory. It also set up Hawk and Animal facing their longtime rivals, Steve Williams & Terry Gordy, in the semi-final round in Osaka.