IWA KAWASAKI DREAM 8/20/95

Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

I’ve been looking forward to writing and releasing this review for a long time. My main tape source, RF Video, has done me much less wrong than I guess they have with most others who might read this. But the biggest, dumbest selljob they did was of this tape. They hyped this tape to death (no pun intended) as a benchmark, historic event in hardcore wrestling history. They hyped this show as being fantastic based on the amount of bloodshed. However, there were many flaws with this event and this might be my most negatively charged review to date for me. For one, it was not the “sickest tape of all time”, as RF Video exclaimed six years ago. There were several more violent matches on other shows before this and many after this. I guess it was one of the sickest tapes ever in terms of being a letdown for match quality. The opener was one of the worst garbage matches I’ve seen, and wasn’t the only poor match on the card. There were a few pockets of good work on the show and a couple of pretty good matches, but overall this couldn’t hold a candle to what FMW could have presented had they done a death match tournament show. Overall, I would not recommend this tape to anyone except for those who are diehard IWA Japan tape collectors or similar collectors of hardcore wrestling tapes.

-Matches 1-4: King of the Death Matches Tournament First Round-

1. Barbed Wire Barricade Match: Tiger Jeet Singh vs Mr. Gannosuke

Singh attacked Gannosuke before the bell and dominated him outside the ring. He attacked Gannosuke with a chair and a segment of the ringside barricade. He continued to dominate Gannosuke as the match moved through the crowd. Gannosuke was busted open before they returned to the ring. Gannosuke fought back with a couple dropkicks and some chops. Singh quickly recovered and again took the fight outside the ring. Singh choked Gannosuke with a chain. Gannosuke made a brief comeback but missed a dropkick. Singh took Gannosuke down with something like a death grip and gained a near fall. Singh applied the grip again and pinned Gannosuke to the barbed wire barricade and made him submit at 7:10. Singh did a masterful job carrying this match into the drop zone of ratings- this is one of the lowest ratings I’ve ever given to any match. -*3/4

2. Barbed Wire Barricade & Chain Match: Leatherface vs Terry Funk

Leatherface hit a lariat before the bell and actually hit a moonsault early. Leatherface hit Funk with the chain causing him to fall on a barbed wire board. He went after Funk with his chainsaw and busted him open. Leatherface continued to use the chain as a weapon. Funk knocked Leatherface onto a barbed wire board and attacked Leatherface with a chain outside the ring. They even fought on the caged wall behind the backstop at the baseball stadium. Leatherface whipped Funk into an upright barbed wire board in the ring. Leatherface was going for a top rope splash onto Funk through a table at ringside but Funk recovered, yanked the chain and sent Leatherface onto the table. Funk pinned Leatherface at 8:54 after a series of punches. Decent in terms of chaos, but a weak match with a lame ending. 3/4*

3. Barbed Wire Bat and Thumbtack Match: Cactus Jack vs Terry Gordy

Gordy hit Cactus with the barbed wire bat early and busted him open. They teased a couple thumbtack spots. Cactus rammed Gordy head first into the ringpost. Gordy back suplexed Cactus but Cactus backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Gordy slammed Cactus off the second rope to the floor. Gordy hit a couple lariats and Cactus fell onto some thumbtacks, getting several stuck in his head. Cactus hit Gordy with the barbed wire bat and legdropped him on the apron as his neck was draped on the bottom rope. Gordy clotheslined Cactus over the barricade and piledrove him on a ringside table. Gordy powerbombed Cactus onto the thumbtacks and gained a near fall. Cactus DDTd Gordy on the thumbtacks and pinned him at 7:02. Cactus did an okay job carrying things was it still wasn’t any good. *

4. Barbed Wire Bat & Thumbtack Match: Shoji Nakamaki vs Hiroshi Ono

They no-sold hits with the barbed wire bat early and had a slugfest. Nakamaki threw Ono over the barricade and into the crowd. Ono was already busted open as Nakamaki hit him with a chair. Ono fought back and gained a couple near falls, including one after a top rope lariat. Nakamaki fought back with a lariat for a near fall. They fought outside the ring for a while. Nakamaki actually applied an STF on Ono as both were bleeding heavily for no noticeable reason. Nakamaki attempted to bulldog Ono onto the thumbtacks but Ono countered and back suplexed Nakamaki onto the tacks twice for a near fall. Nakamaki powerbombed Ono onto the tacks for a near fall and pinned him at 7:26 after a flatliner of sorts onto the thumbtacks. Another match without much redeeming value, but not bad given their abilities. *1/4

5. WWA Jr. Title: Flying Kid Ichihara (c) vs Takashi Okano

They kept a fast pace early, but their offense was simple. They traded lariats. Okano gained a near fall with a legdrop and applied a Boston crab at 10:00. Ichihara gained a near fall with a moonsault bodyblock. He hit a tope suicida and gained a near fall with a suplex. Ichihara gained a near fall with a back suplex but missed a top rope headbutt. Okano gained a near fall with a powerbomb and Ichihara gained a near fall with a backslide. Ichihara hit an Asai moonsault to very little reaction. Ichihara gained a near fall with a top rope splash and another with a German suplex. Ichihara missed a moonsault and Okano gained a near fall with la magistral. Ichihara hit a huracanrana but Okano rolled through and pinned him at 17:01 to win the title (5:56 aired). No heat whatsoever, was a ** match at best, and probably closer to *.

6. Iceman vs Kamikaze

The work was very sloppy early- they tried to work a quick pace but were more sluggish than energetic. Iceman hit a tope. Kamikaze spin kicked Iceman out of the ring and hit a somersault plancha. Iceman gained a near fall with a top rope superplex and another with a top rope splash. Kamikaze gained a near fall with a powerbomb and another with a top rope huracanrana. Iceman hit a tornado DDT for a near fall. Iceman gained a near fall with a powerbomb. Kamikaze German suplexed Iceman but Iceman pinned him at 9:45 (4:38 aired). A crappy, almost hideously sluggish match at times given what aired. DUD

-Matches 7-8: King of the Death Matches Tournament Semifinals-

7. Barbed Wire Board & Glass Death Match: Terry Funk vs Tiger Jeet Singh

Singh attacked a ring attendant beforehand. A wild brawl took place in the crowd. Singh attacked Funk’s left arm with the handle of his sword. Funk bled heavily from his arm. Singh attacked Funk’s left arm with a metal piece from the barricade. Funk fell onto one of the glass panes. Funk finally fought back at 4:14. He briefly applied a spinning toehold bit Singh fought back. Singh stabbed Funk’s arm with a spike of some sort. Cactus came in and went to clothesline Funk with Funk’s branding iron but he moved and Cactus hit Singh instead. Funk then pinned Singh at 6:04. This was the worst singles match I’ve ever seen Funk in, all because of Singh, who makes Hulk Hogan look at least as good as Masato Tanaka. -*1/4

8. Barbed Wire Board & Bed of Nails Match: Shoji Nakamaki vs Cactus Jack

Cactus kicked Nakamaki onto a barbed wire board early. Nakamaki whipped Cactus into the barbed wire board upright against the ring but Cactus came right back with a lariat. Nakamaki suplexed Cactus on the floor but Cactus hit him with a barbed wire board and sliced Nakamaki open with some of the barbed wire. Nakamaki pushed Cactus into a bed of nails propped up in the corner a couple times causing Cactus to bleed from the arm. Cactus basically splashed a barbed wire board on Nakamaki’s back as Shoji bled heavily. Cactus gained a near fall and dropped a barbed wire board on Nakamaki. Nakamaki fell partially onto a bed of nails at ringside. Cactus dumped the bed of nails on Nakamaki and hit an elbowsmash off the apron with Nakamaki pinned underneath the nails in the best spot of the tournament so far. Cactus gained a near fall back in the ring. Nakamaki headbutted Cactus repeatedly causing him to fall backward onto a bed of nails in the corner. Nakamaki knocked Cactus onto a barbed wire board and went for a big splash but Cactus moved and Nakamaki crashed onto the barbed wire. Cactus suplexed Nakamaki and hit a second rope elbow for a near fall. Cactus gained a near fall with another elbowsmash. Nakamaki fought back wit headbutts and DDTd Cactus on a barbed wire board for a near fall. Cactus pinned Nakamaki at 9:49 after a DDT on the barbed wire board. Cactus did a great job carrying Nakamaki and they did enough spots to make this a fine match if not a very good one by death match standards. One of the only two matches to meet expectations on the card. **1/2

-They had a brief retirement ceremony for Gypsy Joe.

9. IWA Tag Team Title: Headhunters (A & B) (c) vs Silver King & El Texano

The Headhunters overpowered their smaller opponents early. The Headhunters gave King a double team powerbomb. Texano lit into HH-A with a bunch of strikes but HH-A flattened him. HH-A legdropped Texano as HH-B hit a big splash. King and Texano double teamed HH-A and Texano hit a Psicosis-like tope suicida. King hit a plancha on HH-A but HH-B then hit a somersault plancha to everyone’s amazement. King gave HH-A a top rope missile dropkick and Texano gained a near fall. Texano applied a cross armbreaker. King and Texano attempted a double suplex but HH-A countered and suplexed both of them at the same time. King and Texano recovered and suplexed HH-A. Texano gained a near fall on HH-A after he and King hit simultaneous top rope elbows. HH-A fought back and hit a top rope splash on Texano but HH-B missed a moonsault on King. HH-A superbombed Texano and pinned him at 17:39 to retain the title (6:38 aired). A decent match, looked like **1/2-*** but not as good as it could have been.

10. NWA Title: Dan Severn (c) vs Tarzan Goto

Goto held a sleeper on Severn early. Severn outwrestled Goto as expected. Goto dominated Severn with headbutts and an armbar which he turned into a cross armbreaker. Severn gave Goto several knees to the head and went for a crossface chicken wing. Goto was busted open as they fought on the floor. Goto and Severn brawled into the crowd with good intensity. Goto hit Severn repeatedly with a chair and dumped a bunch of chairs on him. Severn tossed a bunch of chairs into the ring. Severn and Goto then dueled with the chairs. Severn belly to belly suplexed Goto but missed a kneedrop. Goto attacked Severn’s knee with a chair and gave him more chairshots in the ring. Goto gained a near fall with a lariat and another with a pedigree-like move. Goto gained a near fall with a face front piledriver. Severn gave Goto a released northern lights suplex and a German suplex. Severn applied a choke sleeper for the submission win at 11:35. Actually a decent match with good heat. Sadly, this was one of the better matches on the show. **1/4

-King of the Death Matches Tournament Final-

11. No-Rope Barbed Wire, Electrified Barbed Wire Board, 10-Minute Time Bomb Death Match: Cactus Jack vs Terry Funk

They teased barbed wire spots early. Cactus sliced Funk open on the barbed wire strands. Funk pushed Cactus into a side of barbed wire. Cactus pushed Funk, who fell back onto an explosive barbed wire board and Cactus gained a near fall. Cactus missed Funk and fell into a side of barbed wire. Funk double arm suplexed Cactus and whipped him into a side of barbed wire. Funk hiptossed Cactus onto an explosive barbed wire board and piledrove him. Funk piledrove Cactus through one of the barbed wire boards that had been detonated. Funk whipped Cactus into that barbed wire board upright in the corner and gained a near fall. Funk and Cactus brawled on the floor. Cactus placed a barbed wire board on Funk and elbowsmashed him. Funk whipped Cactus over the barricade into the crowd. Funk won a slugfest back in the ring and applied a spinning toehold. Singh attacked Funk with his sword and he and Cactus whipped Funk into an explosive barbed wire board that was propped up against the corner. Cactus gained a near fall with a neckbreaker and another with a double arm DDT. The time bombs exploded at 10:00 but the explosion was very wimpy, maybe due to the rain that had been falling during the match. Funk was confused as to what happened but back suplexed Cactus onto the fourth explosive barbed wire board, although his head also caught part of the explosion. Cactus brought a ladder into the ring and hit Funk with it. Cactus dropped the ladder on Funk and gained a near fall. Cactus hit an elbowsmash off the ladder for a near fall. He climbed the ladder but Funk tipped it over causing Cactus to fall onto a side of barbed wire. Cactus recovered and pinned Funk at 13:29. Fans were disappointed by the weak time bomb explosion and weak finish. Otherwise a good match that was arguably the best of the card, but certainly not one of their better matches against each other. **1/2

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