SUPER Tag League - Night 1 [Sept 22nd, 2021]
Sept 22, 2021 10:29:16 GMT -5
SWAT eFed, Jesse Jamester, and 1 more like this
Post by BRAVE1 on Sept 22, 2021 10:29:16 GMT -5
BRAVE SUPER Tag League Night 1
September 22nd, 2021 [Dark]Osaka Convention Centre (500 MAX)
[SUPER Tag League] The Speed Dragons (White Light II & Black Jaguar) defeated I-69 (Wayne Sherlock & Allan Joseph) {9:47} when White Light II executed a Brain Buster on Allan Joseph.
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Standings
1. Tidal Wave(Takeshi Uehara & Gakuto Fija) - 3pts
2. The Speed Dragons (White Light II & Black Jaguar) - 3pts
3. The Shining Stars (Kano Ito & Tetsu Kondo) - 1pt
4. Roger Stevens & Kenneth Marshall - 1pt
5. I-69 (Wayne Sherlock & Allan Joseph) 0pts
6. KYOTO:CRUSH (Koji Imura & Haru Tanaka) 0pts
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Notes:
- The first match of the evening saw two upstart teams looking to breakthrough the proverbial glass ceiling and become major players within the organization. Takeshi Uehara is the biggest man in the entire tournament and he wasted very little time using his size and strength to his advantage. The KYOTO:CRUSH had their moments, but in the end, Uehara was able to WOW the crowd with a vicious Backdrop Driver to secure the win for Tidal Wave.
- The crowd then stood to applaud the presence of Daisuke Shinzaki. Shinzaki was sitting in the front row and taking in all of the action. Once word spread that he was in the building, the Osaka faithful couldn't resist the opportunity to praise one of their heroes.
- The second match of the evening was battle of speed against brawn. Ever since White Light II and The Black Jaguar decided to put aside their personal rivalry and joined forces - they've both seen their careers skyrocket. White Light II was moving around the mat like a true ring general, and his partner fed off of his confidence. Wayne Sherlock nearly made Black Jaguar tap to his sharpshooter, but the masked man fought through it. After a hot tag, and the ability to cut off the ring - it would be White Light II who would get the finish over Allan Joseph in spectacular fashion.
- In what was supposed to be a 'salute' to Kai Fukuda's illustrious career in Judo - took an ugly turn. After Fukuda made short work of Akio Dai, he was confronted by Crossfire - the sumo wrestling superstar. Crossfire grabbed a mic, and boasted that his discipline of choice would be able to defend Fukuda's advances with ease. This brought the two competitors to a stand off in the middle of the ring. The fans were hoping to see fireworks. Instead, Hiroshi Inoue walked to the ring and said he would allow Crossfire the same platform that he offered Fukuda at their next event. This seemed to calm Crossfire's temper, and the big man snarled before walking out of the ring. Fukuda looked on, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time that these two men met face to face.
- The final match of the evening pitted the dominant BRAVE duo of The Shining Stars against Roger Stevens & Kenneth Marshall. The Shining Stars are also the first Imperial Crown Tag Team Champions in Northern Pro Wrestling, and while they worked for Gus Arnold, they only ever listened to Satoshi Watanabe. Watanabe is their ruthless leader, and shot caller. Kenneth Marshall is obviously protective of his trainer and mentor, so we could sense immediate hostility when Watanabe accompanied Kondo & Ito to the ring. Roger Stevens was born angry, and any reason he can find to get fired up and unleash the fury is a great day in his books. Marshall knew this, and clearly inserted thoughts and motivation in the ear of this tag team partner.
The Match itself turned into an instant classic. For those who wondered how quickly Marshall and Stevens would gel? Let's put a stop to that narrative right now, as these two professionals must have been training together behind the scenes for long period of time. All of the matches in the first round of the tournament are 20 minutes long, and for this bout that wasn't going to be enough to settle any sort of score. Satoshi Watanabe could be heard telling his men "not to let these western wrestlers have their way." The US vs. THEM mentality was ever present.
Once the final bell sounded, and Testu Kondo refused to stop fighting - the fury of Roger Stevens was unleashed. Stevens rocked Kondo with a nasty LARIAT that popped the crowd more so than anything else in the match. Watanbe entered the ring and feinted like he was going to shoot on Marshall, but the Canadian grappler was ready to defend. Watanabe pointed and laughed. Marshall remained stoic, and warned Watanabe that he 'knew all about his ways.' Clearly, Gus Arnold had warned Marshall about potential dangers when dealing with The Shining Stars.
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Reactions:
- In the backstage area after their match, KYOTO:CRUSH member Tanaka had an ice pack on the back of his head, and a white towel draped over his face so the camera couldn't see him. His partner Koji Imaru tried to be upbeat, but he knew that taking a loss in their first match meant that the pressure was mounting. While young in exprience, Imaru said that no other team could match their heart.
- After a successful showing, the Tidal Wave duo from Okinawa spoke about their upbringing. Uehara bounced on his toes like a mastodon - while 'Fija' said that they were built differently than the others. Having to survive on the island wasn't easy. Uehara said to expect 'pain' to continue.
- Crossfire snarled and was clearly looking for blood after Kai Fukuda refused to back down out in the ring. Crossfire promised to destroy anyone who steps in front of him going forward, before sending a stern warning to Fukuda that he hoped to meet him inside of the ring very soon.
- After the time limit draw, Kenneth Marshall stood stoically in front of the reporter. Roger Stevens paced in the background, looking to burn some steam. Even after their twenty minute battle, both of these men looked like they could've gone twenty more. Marshall reiterated what many had thought. Marshall said that he watched The Shining Stars rule with an iron first in Canada for two years while he was in Japan and in the United States. Marshall said that he had been waiting to mix it up with the Shining Stars and that this was far from over. Roger Stevens closed the interview by letting the locker room know that he wasn't going to take a step back or allow any 'big bad bullies' to flex when it wasn't warranted.
- Satoshi Watanabe lead the Shining Stars to their locker room, and ushered them inside as the reporters ran behind them looking for a few words. Watanabe turned to the media and with a coldness told Kenneth Marshall and Rogers Stevens 'to be careful for what you wish for.' The message was clear, and the media member who were present have a long understood the dangers of messing with a man like Satoshi Watanabe.
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Vibe:
- The Speed Dragons have taken a step forward in confidence and chemistry after their recent stint in Canada. While they might've fallen short in their quest to capture the Imperial Crown Tag Team Championships - they certainly treated the experience as a positive one.
- The crowd is clearly itching for Daisuke Shinzaki to make his BRAVE debut, but no word has come through as of yet in regards to when that might be.
- The crowd was very quiet and respectful during the match between The Shining Stars and Rogers Stevens/Kenneth Marshall. They wanted to hear the strategy Watanabe was relaying from the outside, as well as show respect to the four wrestlers in the match. Not surprisingly, the crowd found themselves wanting to back Stevens and Marshall - knowing that both men have been staples in Japan long enough to have earned their respect.
- Hiroshi Inoue thanked the fans for coming, and said that they would be back on September 29th for Night 2 of the SUPER Tag League.
