--> "FIGHTING SPIRIT 2003" <--
New Japan presented another good show today, taped for it's Strong Style eXtreme Wrestling show on ESPN International (it will air on 2/24 at 10pm, repeated on 2/28 at 10am). The next SXW (2/10, covering 1/30 Korakuen show) will have another feature on YM, the famous mask maker who makes Tiger Mask, Great Sasuke, and others' hoods, after overwhelming mail demand for more footage. New Japan christened Dream Messe Miyagi with it's first wrestling show today. 2,500 fans turned up, and it was a "Super No Vacancy" crowd. Hidekazu Tanaka said New Japan sold out all it's seats, but saw that the building could seat more people, so added day tickets. This was another abnormally long convention for New Japan, running from 6:30pm to 9:50pm. Before the matches, Kengo Kimura announced his "retirement". He seemed to say that he is actually just about retired now, but doing a "fan appreciation" tour of sorts, one last lap of the circuit. This is news that has been expected for years, but held off for a while to allow Kengo to wrestle a little more. Iizuka & Kakihara avenged their Tokyo Dome loss to Makai #4 (Shibata) & Makai #5 (Nagai), defeating them in the final IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament first round match today. A furious Iizuka choked #4 to near-death with a sleeper hold, forcing the referee to urgently call for the bell. So the semis for 2/9 in Osaka are Iizuka & Kakihara vs. Yasuda & Yanagisawa, and Hiro & Goto vs. Barton & Steele. Barnett & Saturn remained undefeated as a team, putting away the odd tandem of Nakanishi & Heat when Barnett submitted the children's hero (Heat). Koji Kanemoto made a successful V5 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Kaientai Dojo's Minoru Fujita, but the challenge was a lot tougher than most expected. Fujita impressed fans by lasting over 17 minutes against the junior ace, before tapping out to an ankle hold. New Japan is very high on Fujita, which is why he has been a virtual full-timer for a while now, and his progress in this match could be a good sign for his future in the junior division. Kanemoto is also impressed by him, and recruited him as a tag partner, effective tomorrow. The question remains, who will be the man to take Kanemoto's title after five challengers have failed? Two six man tags closed the show, both seeing New Japan trios fall to outsider trios. Firstly, the Makai Club's top three, Yasuda, Murakami & Yanagisawa (wearing open finger gloves for the first time in New Japan to prepare for 2/16) defeated Nagata, Yoshie & Nakamura, Yanagisawa high kicking Yoshie for the pinfall victory. The emphasis then switched from the out of control mayhem to a more traditional main event, which saw Takayama, Barton & Steele overcome the elite trio of Chono, Tenzan & Nishimura, Takayama pinning Mr. Muga. Makabe showed up as a paying spectator. Barton & Steele seem like the most logical challengers for Chono & Tenzan on 2/16 now, but they have to win two more matches to get there. Takayama said he was upset at not being in the main event just recently (before today), and taunted New Japan by claiming he would defend the NWF Heavyweight Title in World Japan, NOAH, and ZERO-ONE if they didn't start treating him properly. Tiger Mask revealed in a recent magazine interview that one of his main reasons for signing with New Japan was to advance on the mixed martial arts world. Tiger is hoping to fight in PRIDE at some point. Some good news about the 5/1-5/2 Tokyo Dome situation. Paying spectators for the 5/2 New Japan show will gain free entry to Inoki's 5/1 "fun festival", so it seems to be a mutual cooperation thing after all.

NJPW, 2/6/03 (SXW)
Dream Messe Miyagi
2,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Ryusuke Taguchi beat Naofumi Yamamoto (6:44) with a cross armbreaker.
2. Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto beat Kengo Kimura & El Samurai (9:47) when Hiro used a diving senton on Samurai.
3. Makai #1 & Makai #2 beat Blue Wolf & Toru Yano (11:47) when Makai #2 used a diving body press on Yano.
4. Tiger Mask 4, Super Crazy & Curry Man beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo (14:02) when Curry used the Spicy Drop on Gedo.
5. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Takashi Iizuka & Masahito Kakihara beat Makai #4 & Makai #5 (9:51) by referee stop (Iizuka beat Makai #4).
6. Josh Barnett & Perry Saturn beat Manabu Nakanishi & Heat (12:56) when Barnett used a cross heel hold on Heat.
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto (c) beat Minoru Fujita (17:06) with an ankle hold (5th defense).
8. Tadao Yasuda, Kazunari Murakami & Ryushi Yanagisawa beat Yuji Nagata, Yutaka Yoshie & Shinsuke Nakamura (14:32) when Yanagisawa used a right high kick on Yoshie.
9. Yoshihiro Takayama, Mike Barton & Jim Steele beat Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura (18:31) when Takayama used a German suplex hold on Nishimura.

---

KOJI KANEMOTO (fourth reign as IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion - 7/19/02 to present - 5 defenses)

1. (9/22/02 @ Osaka Namihaya Dome) Koji Kanemoto beat Tiger Mask 4 (17:40) with an ankle hold (1st defense).
2. (10/14/02 @ Tokyo Dome) Koji Kanemoto beat Heat (18:43) with an ankle hold (2nd defense).
3. (10/26/02 @ Fukuoka International Center) Koji Kanemoto beat Bas Rutten (10:11) with an ankle hold (3rd defense).
4. (12/7/02 @ Tokushima Municipal Gymnasium) Koji Kanemoto beat Masahito Kakihara (16:38) with an ankle hold (4th defense).
5. (2/6/03 @ Dream Messe Miyagi) Koji Kanemoto beat Minoru Fujita (17:06) with an ankle hold (5th defense).

---

One of the more minor shows of the tour tomorrow, but still, nine matches again. The main event sounds really promising when you consider who are under the masks. Fujita begins teaming with Kanemoto and Liger in an exceptional trio, the three taking on another quality threesome, Heat, Kakihara & Curry Man. Barnett's study of pro wrestling continues when he faces Goto. Beware the backdrop!

NJPW, 2/7/03
Yamagata Sports Center Sub Arena

1. Blue Wolf vs. Naofumi Yamamoto
2. El Samurai vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
3. Jado & Gedo vs. Tiger Mask 4 & Super Crazy
4. Kengo Kimura & Hiro Saito vs. Osamu Nishimura & Yutaka Yoshie
5. Koji Kanemoto, Jushin Thunder Liger & Minoru Fujita vs. Heat, Masahito Kakihara & Curry Man
6. Manabu Nakanishi & Toru Yano vs. Mike Barton & Jim Steele
7. Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Josh Barnett
8. Yoshihiro Takayama & Perry Saturn vs. Tadao Yasuda & Ryushi Yanagisawa
9. Masahiro Chono, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Takashi Iizuka vs. Kazunari Murakami, Makai #5, Makai #4 & Makai #1

Masahiro Chono announced the complete banishment of "Problem Child" Shinya Makabe from New Japan while at the "NET&COM2003" convention today in one of the Makuhari Messe international exhibition halls (New Japan held a show at #11 on 11/4/02). Chono said that even if Makabe continues to attend New Japan shows, he will have to purchase tickets to get in. A ban has been placed on his payments and receipts, and Chono has removed him from all upcoming lineups. Chono said that Makabe would most likely be banished until next January, when he would have to chance to negotiate for a new contract, assuming he didn't join another company before then. An option for Makabe may be to join an anti-New Japan force like the Makai Club if he persists in trying to get on shows.

Some new items are available worth mentioning from my kind hosts and the best tape service on the internet, Highspots. Before getting into the new tapes, I should mention that the Best of Japan 2002 Complete Edition deal is now even more appealing. Not only will you get thirteen tapes of Japan's top matches from 2002 for $99.99 (over $30 off what you would pay for them individually), Highspots is giving away a 2002 Nippon Sports Mook (worth $25) for free! I purchased a copy of this last year, and it's one of the best references for Japanese wrestling fans available. Nearly every Japanese (and major league American) wrestler is listed, male and female, with their name in Japanese AND English, with a colour photo included. So as a whole, you are saving $55 on this deal, and I personally helped select the matches for volume's 11 to 13. So if you don't want to get every TV show to see the best that the source of the best pro wrestling in the world had to offer last year, consider Best of Japan 2002 Complete Edition.


Already proclaimed by some as an all-time classic, Koji Kanemoto & Jushin Thunder Liger invaded Pro Wrestling NOAH in an attempt to take the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title back from Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi. Now, on a two tape set, the entire, UNCLIPPED 1/26 NOAH convention from Kobe World Hall is available! This means all 27+ minutes of the match people in Japan and those elsewhere who have seen it are raving about, is available to purchase one click away! The show also had a very appealing semi final that shouldn't be forgotten either, as Misawa & Marufuji faced Kobashi & KENTA, some of NOAH's best heavyweights and juniors clashing. Elsewhere, after failing in their challenge to capture the GHC Tag Team Title, Tamon Honda and Masao Inoue met in singles action, with a quick and decisive outcome. Go grab yourself a copy of this!

NOAH, 1/26/03 (NTV) (Buy)
Kobe World Hall
3,800 Fans

1. Haruka Eigen & Masashi Aoyagi beat Rusher Kimura & Mitsuo Momota (8:33) when Aoyagi used a front cradle cutback on Momota.
2. Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio beat Daisuke Ikeda & Kishin Kawabata (9:22) when Morishima used a backdrop suplex on Kawabata.
3. Akira Taue & Jun Izumida beat Donovan Morgan & Ron Harris (8:33) when Izumida used the Mukado Domu on Morgan.
4. Scorpio & Michael Modest beat Yoshinari Ogawa & Kotaro Suzuki (9:07) when Modest used the Reality Check on Suzuki.
5. Tamon Honda beat Masao Inoue (2:00) by referee stop.
6. Takuma Sano, Kentaro Shiga & Takashi Sugiura beat Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi (19:06) when Sugiura used an Olympic slam on Hashi.
7. Kenta Kobashi & KENTA beat Mitsuharu Misawa & Naomichi Marufuji (16:18) when Kobashi used a lariat on Marufuji.
8. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Koji Kanemoto & Jushin Thunder Liger beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (c) (27:11) when Liger used a shotei on Kikuchi to become the 10th champions.

---

New Japan's final WPW taping of 2002 was a big event at Nagoya Rainbow Hall. Despite several changes to the lineup, "THE SPIRAL II" turned out to be a strong event. The "King & Queen" team of New Japan, Chono and Laurer, teamed for the first and maybe the last (Laurer had a big bust up with New Japan and may be gone) time, facing Murakami & Makai #2. In two veteran vs. youngster matches, Nakanishi faced Wolf and Nagata took on Makabe. The new junior feud took off on this show, with disagreements between the regular army leading to re-alignments in the near future. In a big and very good main event, Tenzan & Nishimura fought Takayama & Kenzo in one of Kenzo's most high profile New Japan matches, so soon before his departure.


NJPW "THE SPIRAL II", 12/15/02 (WPW) (Details) (Buy)
Nagoya Rainbow Hall
9,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Yutaka Yoshie beat Toru Yano (9:13) with a back blow.
2. Takashi Iizuka beat El Samurai (11:15) with a sleeper hold.
3. Ryushi Yanagisawa & Makai #1 beat Masahito Kakihara & Masayuki Naruse (13:02) when Makai #1 used a Makai Windmill suplex hold on Naruse.
4. Koji Kanemoto & Gedo beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask 4 (14:11) when Kanemoto used a moonsault press on Tiger.
5. Minoru Fujita beat Heat (7:21) with a Michinoku Driver II.
6. Masahiro Chono & Joanie Laurer beat Kazunari Murakami & Makai #2 (6:21) when Laurer used an STF on Makai #2.
7. Manabu Nakanishi beat Blue Wolf (10:26) with an Argentine backbreaker.
8. Yuji Nagata beat Shinya Makabe (11:21) with a backdrop suplex hold.
9. Yoshihiro Takayama & Kenzo Suzuki beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura (21:10) when Takayama used a knee kick on Nishimura.

---

The national TV version of "BOM-BA-YE 2002" is now available at Highspots. Running 2 1/2 hours, it features matches #4 to #8. Included in this set are two of the most highly anticipated MMA fights in a long time, Fujita vs. Cro Cop the rematch, and of course the main event between two slugfest fighters, Sapp and Takayama. Takayama's face is a horrific mess by the time this fight is over.

Antonio Inoki's "INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2002", 12/31/02 (PPV/TV) (Buy)
Saitama Super Arena
35,674 Fans

1. Jan Nortje beat Tadao Yasuda (R2 0:57) by TKO (towel throw).
2. Daniel Gracie beat Shinsuke Nakamura (R2 2:14) with a cross armbreaker.
3. Wallid Ismail beat Yasuhito Namekawa (R3) by decision.
4. Mike Bernardo beat Gary Goodridge (R1 2:12) by KO.
5. Quinton Jackson beat Cyril Abidi (R3) by decision.
6. Mirko Cro Cop beat Kazuyuki Fujita (R3) by decision.
7. Masaaki Satake Retirement Match: Hidehiko Yoshida beat Masaaki Satake (R1 0:50) with a front sleeper.
8. Bob Sapp beat Yoshihiro Takayama (R1 2:16) with a cross armbreaker.

- New Japan revealed that this summer, it will run it's first show in Hawaii for eighteen years. Masahiro Chono announced the idea, saying that if this plan is realized, it will be New Japan's first convention there since December, 1985. Chono has plans for a big show, and wants the IWGP Heavyweight Title on the line. This would be the first IWGP Heavyweight Title match in America since Scott Norton's unofficial defense over Lodi (something New Japan refuses to recognize, and for good reason) on 11/9/98.

- Inoki's 5/1 Tokyo Dome show won't have any fighting/wrestling/combat at all, and is just going to be a "night of fun" for him. There will be a lot of singing, dancing, and such, with guest appearances from celebrities and wrestlers. It won't act as a prelude to New Japan's show, but rather as a rival.

- Jun Akiyama said that he would consider teaming with rival, Kenta Kobashi, to intercept Yoshihiro Takayama & Bob Sapp if they invaded NOAH as a tag team. Akiyama thinks they may be the only team able to stop the combined force of Takayama and Sapp.

- BattlARTS boss, Yuki Ishikawa, returns to All Japan for "EXCITE SERIES 2003". He was named as the "X" partner for Honma and Miyamoto in tags, after Takagi works his portion of the tour. Ishikawa worked a couple of shows after the All Japan split in summer of 2000, his most notable match there being when he teamed with Jinsei Shinzaki against Toshiaki Kawada & Maunakea Mossman before a record low crowd for major league promotions at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium on 7/11/00.

- Some rumoured outsider names for this year's Best of the Super Jr. (NONE of these are confirmed): Curry Man (Michinoku Pro), Takehiro Murahama (Osaka Pro), Gamma (Osaka Pro), Super Delfin (Osaka Pro), Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NOAH), Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (NOAH), Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH), KENTA (NOAH), Azteca (KAGEKI), Dr. Wagner Jr. (EMLL), Black Tiger 3 (EMLL), and Super Crazy (EMLL).

--> "FIGHTING SPIRIT 2003" <--
After a wild start to the series, things settled down today with a smaller house show. Chono blasted Makabe before the show, accusing him of overrating himself, and may have banished him (Makabe is not listed on the next show lineup). Chono said that if Makabe lost today (which he did), he should head back overseas and re-practice, like Katsushi Takemura did after going on a losing streak following his return on "SUMMER FIGHT SERIES 2002". New Japan has not been happy with Makabe's progress since he returned, which is why contract talks continue to stall (Makabe wants a semi main event position, but New Japan won't guarantee that). There are some rumours that Makabe could be Kenzo's mystery opponent on 3/1 if he chooses to leave New Japan. Meanwhile, Yanagisawa again demanded an open finger glove match with Takayama on 2/16. The first match of note saw two of New Japan's great young lion prospects, Shinsuke Nakamura and Naofumi Yamamoto, clash for the first time since leaving the dojo. They teamed with peers (Nishimura and Yoshie respectively), and the bout hit the 15 minute time limit. Josh Barnett continued his study of pro wrestling, KO'ing Makai #2 in 5 minutes with a popular wrestling move, the German suplex. Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto, two veterans finding sudden form, advanced to the semi final round of the IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament. They defeated, for the second time, Shinya Makabe & Minoru Fujita, the struggling Makabe again falling to Goto's backdrop suplex. Fujita is himself doing well this tour, and remains personally unbeaten going into his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title shot in Miyagi. Takayama & Saturn put away Yanagisawa & Makai #1, Takayama knee kicking #1 for the victory. In the semi final, Barton & Steele continued to gather steam for their tag tournament semi final against Hiro & Goto, defeating Nagata & Wolf. Along with Yasuda & Murakami, Barton & Steele are a strong possibility to take the tournament and go on to challenge Chono & Tenzan. Finally, New Japan vs. Makai Club headlined for the first time on the series, with eight man tag action. Makai took this victory after two losses earlier in the show, Murakami continuing to one-up the man who defeated him on successive Tokyo Dome shows in 2000, Iizuka, and forcing a submission out of him. Couple of quick WON notes concerning New Japan. Ken Shamrock will most likely either challenge the IWGP Heavyweight Champion (Nagata or whoever it might be by then, very possibly on 5/2) or team with fellow former UFC star, Josh Barnett, and gun for the IWGP Tag Team Title. New Japan has considered the possibility of an eight man vale tudo/shoot tournament for 5/2 (featuring Kazuyuki Fujita, Tadao Yasuda, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Walid Ismail), but with Inoki's refusal to let New Japan use the "INOKI BOM-BA-YE" name, chances may be slim. New Japan will also run the Tokyo Dome in October again this year, making it three once more.

NJPW, 2/4/03
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium
2,500 Fans

1. Toru Yano beat Ryusuke Taguchi (5:56) with a crab hold.
2. Osamu Nishimura & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yutaka Yoshie & Naofumi Yamamoto went to a draw (15:00) when the time limit expired.
3. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai beat Super Crazy & Curry Man (11:08) when Samurai used a chickenwing armlock on Crazy.
4. Koji Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo beat Heat, Masahito Kakihara & Tiger Mask 4 (16:11) when Gedo used the Gedo clutch on Kakihara.
5. Josh Barnett beat Makai #2 (5:03) by KO.
6. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto beat Shinya Makabe & Minoru Fujita (7:13) when Goto used a backdrop suplex on Makabe.
7. Yoshihiro Takayama & Perry Saturn beat Ryushi Yanagisawa & Makai #1 (10:59) when Takayama used a knee kick on Makai #1.
8. Mike Barton & Jim Steele beat Yuji Nagata & Blue Wolf (15:32) when Steele used the Turbo Drop II on Wolf.
9. Tadao Yasuda, Kazunari Murakami, Makai #4 & Makai #5 beat Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka (17:23) when Murakami used an armlock on Iizuka.

---

Like most recent shows, the next one is dominated by New Japan vs. outsiders matches, including Koji Kanemoto's V5 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Kaientai Dojo's Minoru Fujita, in what should be an excellent match. Unlike other junior title matches, it won't main event due to Fujita's current low status. Also, in a rematch from the Tokyo Dome, Iizuka & Kakihara face Makai #4 (Shibata) & Makai #5 (Nagai), with the Iizuka vs. Nagai situation promising to heat up more. The outing also sees Liger, Jado & Gedo team up as a trio for the first time ever. Nine matches altogether, so another long one for this SXW taping. The convention will be the first wrestling show in the new Dream Messe Miyagi facility (not sure how many it holds, but advanced sales are decent, with most of the expensive seats sold out).

NJPW, 2/6/03 (SXW)
Dream Messe Miyagi

1. Naofumi Yamamoto vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
2. Kengo Kimura & El Samurai vs. Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto
3. Blue Wolf & Toru Yano vs. Makai #1 & Makai #2
4. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo vs. Tiger Mask 4, Super Crazy & Curry Man
5. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Takashi Iizuka & Masahito Kakihara vs. Makai #4 & Makai #5
6. Manabu Nakanishi & Heat vs. Josh Barnett & Perry Saturn
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Koji Kanemoto (c) vs. Minoru Fujita
8. Yuji Nagata, Yutaka Yoshie & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tadao Yasuda, Kazunari Murakami & Ryushi Yanagisawa
9. Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Osamu Nishimura vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, Mike Barton & Jim Steele

- Riki Choshu's World Japan announced the long awaited lineup for it's debut show on 3/1 at the 16,000 seat Yokohama Arena. The old team of Kensuke Sasaki and Hiroshi Hase reunites, facing Don Frye (who has aligned with WJ Pro) and a mystery opponent (rumoured to be Enson Inoue or Scott Norton). All Japan's Tomoaki Honma will work the opening match, facing one of the SPWF recruits, Masahiko Kochi. The Road Warriors, who Riki Choshu was always a big fan of, will face U.S. indy wrestlers, The Crushers (AKA Todd & Mike Shane, with stereotypical gaijin tough man personas). Koshinaka vs. Onita in an explosion match will go ahead, possibly in the opening match (as it takes so long to set the ring up during the show). And as expected, the main event will be between Tenryu and Choshu, who age well over 100 together (over half of the participants on the show are over 35 in fact). Kenzo Suzuki's match will be announced soon, after he officially signs, while Choshu's young prodigy, Katsuhiko Nakajima, will have a sparring match.


World Japan "MAGMA01", 3/1/03
Yokohama Arena

1. Masahiko Kochi vs. Tomoaki Honma
2. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Takashi Uwano
3. Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Yoji Anjo
4. Animal Warrior & Hawk Warrior vs. Todd Crusher & Mike Crusher
5. Shiro Koshinaka vs. Atsushi Onita in a No Rope Barbed Wire Explosive Death Match
6. Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase vs. Don Frye & X
7. Riki Choshu vs. Genichiro Tenryu

- All Japan modified it's 2/9 lineup for Shizuoka to reflect ZERO-ONE participation. Kohei Sato (ZERO-ONE) and Hirotaka Yokoi (Alliance/ZERO-ONE) will face Shigeo Okumura & Hideki Hosaka in tag action.

AJPW, 2/9/02 (Samurai! TV)
Gran Ship Shizuoka

1. Taichi Ishikawa vs. Super Dragon
2. Tomoaki Honma, Kazushi Miyamoto & Sanshiro Takagi vs. Nobutaka Araya, Nobukazu Hirai & Ryuji Hijikata
3. Kendo Kashin & Sprigun vs. Gran Hamada & Jimmy Yang
4. Shigeo Okumura & Hideki Hosaka vs. Kohei Sato & Hirotaka Yokoi
5. Keiji Muto, Yuto Aijima & Extreme Blade vs. Arashi, The Gladiator & Gigantes
6. Genichiro Tenryu & Big John Tenta vs. Satoshi Kojima & Kaz Hayashi

- Former K-1 producer, Kazuyoshi Ishii, was formally arrested today on tax evasion charges. He will stand trial in the near future, and could face jail time.

- Antonio Inoki announced he would run a show on 5/1 called "INOKI DAY"... at the Tokyo Dome... one day before New Japan's own Tokyo Dome show (as if Bom-Ba-Ye running less than a week before 1/4 wasn't hurtful enough). Inoki, the majority owner in New Japan, has deliberately set the show before the New Japan one for some reason. He isn't sure of the content yet, and there may not even be any combat. Inoki hinted that he may sing to the audience, and do some other theatrical stuff. The best case scenario would be that this is a pre-show type thing for New Japan's big event, because it would obviously hurt the New Japan convention heavily if Inoki was to run his own combat festival the day before. Inoki said in Sapporo yesterday that New Japan has grown stale, and that he wanted Chono to make 5/2 (rumoured to be called "ULTIMATE CLASH") a card that even he would pay for. Inoki also expressed confusion at Chono saying one half should be pro wrestling, and the other half MMA, saying pro wrestling and MMA are now the same thing.

- Yuji Nagata nominated either Josh Barnett or Tadao Yasuda as the fighter that he would like to be the V9 challenger for his IWGP Heavyweight Title. Although Nagata can't personally name an opponent, he suggested a #1 contendership match between the two, the winner of which would probably face him at the end of "HYPER BATTLE 2003". Nagata revealed that if he managed to make his V9 defense successfully, he would like his V10 defense to be against the only other man with nine successful defenses, Shinya Hashimoto.

- Jun Akiyama and Yoshihiro Takayama spoke with Bob Sapp today at a bean scattering event in Uemoto (a lot of wrestlers were there, including Keiji Muto and Kensuke Sasaki). Akiyama was there to act as an intermediary for a possible Kobashi vs. Sapp dream match, and revealed that he and Sapp had a pleasant chat. Akiyama said he would love to see a "Strong Arm vs. Wild Beast confrontation". Meanwhile, Takayama said that he would form a tag team with Sapp and challenge for the GHC Tag Team Title. Sapp is interested in the match, and the two could challenge Akiyama & Saito some time after March.

- Another name being rumoured as Don Frye's mystery partner on 3/1 is Dan Devine. Devine is a disciple of Frye, and Choshu was even impressed by him personally after seeing footage of him in the WCW Powerplant. He hasn't worked a New Japan tour since "SUMMER FIGHT SERIES 2002", and could well show up in WJ Pro.

- Matt Ghaffari will take his 30-year-old younger brother with him to ZERO-ONE soon, and they will wrestle as a tag team. His brother is even heavier, weighing around 440lbs and supposedly standing 7'0" tall.

--> "FIGHTING SPIRIT 2003" <--
Yuji Nagata today became the second most decorated IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, breaking two reigns that lasted seven defenses (Fujinami and Hashimoto), and finding himself one defense short of matching Shinya Hashimoto's second reign as champion. Nagata fended off a very strong challenge from fellow technician, Osamu Nishimura, putting him away in just over 20 minutes with his new Nagata Lock III, which Mr. Muga (who wrestled in bare feet) wasn't able to counter after all. This was reportedly a very intense and emotional match. Kengo Kimura made his return to regular tour matches, teaming with Makabe against Makais #1 & #2, but Kengo fell to Super Strong Makai's Makai/Devil Windmill suplex hold. Shinsuke Nakamura was brought back down to earth after his success yesterday, falling to Ryushi Yanagisawa in six man tag action. The new Osaka Pro Tag Team Champions, Liger & Murahama, teamed with El Samurai to defeat Heat, Kakihara & Tiger Mask, the new Osaka Pro ace, Murahama, submitting Tiger in a big victory for him. Hiroshi Nagao did debut, but was really injured and this wasn't his ideal start. He and Takayama lost quickly to Yasuda & Murakami, Yasuda punching the giant rookie in the face, and covering. Nagao will rehab his knee now, and aim to return for the March series. The second tournament first round match was more competitive, and saw Barton & Steele overcome Nakanishi & Yoshie to advance. And in the semi final, Josh Barnett & Perry Saturn pulled off a huge non-title win, beating IWGP Tag Team Champions, Chono & Tenzan, when former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Barnett, submitted Tenzan. This could lead to a title shot down the road for Barnett & Saturn, regardless of whether Chono & Tenzan keep the straps past 2/16. Makabe and Minoru Fujita provoked Chono after the match, calling themselves "outside military power" (because Makabe is technically a freelancer now). Inoki did a speech during intermission, but it was the usual "1-2-3 DA" stuff, and I haven't heard of anything important happening between he and Chono (Inoki did touch on 5/2, but said little that was decisive). The show drew a solid crowd of 6,000 fans, another good walk-up in the snowy Sapporo weather, and reviews so far have been very positive (the only real complaint being that there were too many matches).

NJPW, 2/2/03 (WPW/NJ+IWTV Internet)
Tsukisamu Green Dome
6,000 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Naofumi Yamamoto beat Ryusuke Taguchi (7:25) with a single-leg crab hold.
2. Tatsutoshi Goto beat Toru Yano (4:15) with a backdrop suplex.
3. Makai #1 & Makai #2 beat Kengo Kimura & Shinya Makabe (7:35) when Makai #1 used a Makai Windmill suplex hold on Kimura.
4. Koji Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo beat Minoru Fujita , Super Crazy & Curry Man (12:01) when Gedo used a Superfly splash on Curry.
5. Ryushi Yanagisawa, Makai #4 & Makai #5 beat Takashi Iizuka, Blue Wolf & Shinsuke Nakamura (7:53) when Yanagisawa used a jumping knee kick on Nakamura.
6. Jushin Thunder Liger, Takehiro Murahama & El Samurai beat Heat, Masahito Kakihara & Tiger Mask 4 (12:18) when Murahama used a cross armbreaker on Tiger.
7. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Tadao Yasuda & Kazunari Murakami beat Yoshihiro Takayama & Hiroshi Nagao (debut) (3:02) when Yasuda used a straight right punch on Nagao.
8. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Mike Barton & Jim Steele beat Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie (11:07) when Barton used the Barton buster on Yoshie.
9. Josh Barnett & Perry Saturn beat Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan (12:49) when Barnett used a cross heel hold on Tenzan.
10. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) beat Osamu Nishimura (20:01) with the Nagata Lock III (8th defense).

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Well, here it is. Can he become the most successful IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time?

YUJI NAGATA (first reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion - 4/5/02 to present - 8 defenses)

1. (5/2/02 @ Tokyo Dome) Yuji Nagata beat Yoshihiro Takayama (15:36) with a high kick (1st defense).
2. (6/7/02 @ Tokyo Nippon Budokan) Yuji Nagata beat Kensuke Sasaki (22:44) with a backdrop suplex hold (2nd defense).
3. (7/20/02 @ Hokkaido Sports Center) Yuji Nagata beat Bas Rutten (8:10) with the Nagata Lock II (3rd defense).
4. (10/14/02 @ Tokyo Dome) Yuji Nagata beat Kazuyuki Fujita (12:55) with a backdrop suplex hold (4th defense).
5. (10/26/02 @ Fukuoka International Center) Yuji Nagata vs. Masahiro Chono went to a draw (60:00) when the time limit expired (5th defense).
6. (12/10/02 @ Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium) Yuji Nagata beat Kazunari Murakami (14:53) with a wrist-clutch Exploder (6th defense).
7. (1/4/03 @ Tokyo Dome) Yuji Nagata beat Josh Barnett (10:40) with a kneel kick (7th defense).
8. (2/2/03 @ Tsukisamu Green Dome) Yuji Nagata beat Osamu Nishimura (20:01) with the Nagata Lock III (8th defense).

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Things settle down a little on the next show, after a very wild start to the series. There is a tournament match, but it's one of the more minor bouts. In his continuing study of pro wrestling, Josh Barnett faces Makai #2, while the main event sees Team New Japan face Makai Club in eight man tag action.

NJPW, 2/4/03
Iwate Prefectural Gymnasium

1. Toru Yano vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
2. Osamu Nishimura & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yutaka Yoshie & Naofumi Yamamoto
3. Jushin Thunder Liger & El Samurai vs. Super Crazy & Curry Man
4. Koji Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo vs. Heat, Masahito Kakihara & Tiger Mask 4
5. Josh Barnett vs. Makai #2
6. IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contender Tournament - Round 1: Hiro Saito & Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Shinya Makabe & Minoru Fujita
7. Yoshihiro Takayama & Perry Saturn vs. Ryushi Yanagisawa & Makai #1
8. Yuji Nagata & Blue Wolf vs. Mike Barton & Jim Steele
9. Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi & Takashi Iizuka vs. Tadao Yasuda, Kazunari Murakami, Makai #4 & Makai #5

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--> "GHAFFARI TYPHOON 2003" <--
ZERO-ONE wrapped up it's tour today (ironically, Ghaffari wasn't on the show) at Differ. NOAH's KENTA teamed with Low Ki to defeat Takaiwa & Yoshito when KENTA pinned Sasaki, a prelude to a possible NOAH vs. Z1 confrontation in the Differ Cup. Shinya Hashimoto's mystery partner did turn out to be Tengu Kaiser as reported here the other day, and they defeated WEW's Fuyuki, Kanemaru & Kuroda in a Handicap Match. The big story saw the entire All Japan roster, except Tenryu and Kawada, invade and brawl with ZERO-ONE wrestlers, to further this interpromotional feud.

ZERO-ONE, 2/2/03 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Differ Ariake
1,800 Fans (Sell Out)

0. Fuyuki Takahashi beat Fugofugo Yumeji (8:13) with a German suplex hold.
1. Jun Kasai beat Shinsuke Z Yamagasa (8:32) with the Pearl Harbor splash.
2. Gran Hamada & Ikuto Hidaka beat Pentagon Viper & Villano 4 (14:19) when Hidaka used the Shawn Capture on Pentagon.
3. Steve Corino beat Don Arakawa (3:05) with a backslide.
4. Masato Tanaka & Kuroge Wagyuta beat Naohiro Hoshikawa & Kohei Sato (11:34) when Tanaka used a rolling elbow smash on Hoshikawa.
5. The Predator beat Hirotaka Yokoi (6:10) with a King Kong kneedrop.
6. Low Ki & KENTA beat Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yoshito Sasaki (17:28) when KENTA used a Busaiku knee kick on Sasaki.
7. Tom Howard & King Adamo beat Shinjiro Otani & Ryouji Sai (10:22) when Howard pinned Sai after the Typhoon Roll.
8. Shinya Hashimoto & Tengu Kaiser beat Kodo Fuyuki , Kintaro Kanemura & Tetsuhiro Kuroda (9:22) in a Handicap Match when Hashimoto used a DDT on Kuroda.