Michinoku Pro Champ Forum
April 12, 1997 (Taped March 16, 1997)
1. Vampiro & Pantera vs Pero Ruso & Tsukura
Vampiro gave Tsukura a rock bottom and a powerbomb for a near fall. Vampiro superkicked Ruso out of the ring. Ruso gained a near fall on Pantera with a northern lights suplex. Tsukura superkicked Pantera. Vampiro back suplexed Tsukura and applied a camel clutch. Ruso gained a near fall on Vampiro with a powerbomb. Vampiro gave Ruso a rock bottom. Tsukura double arm suplexed Vampiro and hit a top rope headbutt for a near fall. Pantera gave Tsukura a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Pantera hit a springboard somersault plancha on Tsukura. Ruso gained a near fall on Vampiro with an exploder and another with a unique neckbreaker. Vampiro fought back with a series of kicks on Ruso but missed a corkscrew senton. Vampiro superkicked Ruso out of the ring and hit a tope. Tsukura gained a near fall with a huracanrana. Tsukura gained a near fall on Pantera with a rollup and another with an in-ring quebrada. Tsukura missed a moonsault and Pantera applied a modified Romero special for the submission win at 16:01 (7:08 aired). Lots of good moves but not a good match due to lack of continuity. *3/4
2. Shiryu vs Jinsei Shinzaki
Shinzaki hit a bronco buster and a spinning mule kick. Shiryu countered a prayer powerbomb and gave Shinzaki a huracanrana. Shiryu hit a tope suicida. Shiryu gained a near fall with a fisherman buster and another with la magistral. Shiryu gained a near fall with a top rope splash. He jumped off the top rope but Shinzaki met him with a chop. Shinzaki hit a superkick and a top rope shouldertackle for a near fall. Shinzaki pinned Shiryu at 9:18 after a prayer powerbomb (4:20 aired). Based on what aired, this looked like a ** match, although that rating could be generous given the lack of heat.
3. Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Super Delfin & Masato Yakushiji vs Taka Michinoku, Dick Togo, Men's Teoh, Shoichi Funaki & Masayoshi Motegi
Super match that was the usual top-notch spotfest from these guys. Super spots, amazing execution, and a fairly logical sequence to the spots. The heels did some of their unique team spots early on. Other than that, wrestlers were mainly paired off in the opening minutes. The wrestlers were more patient than usual in terms of tossing out their big moves, but the work was solid and well-paced. Sasuke was an early standout with his agility. The heels dominated the majority of the first half of the match. The action picked up with Sasuke and Taka brawling throughout the gym. Others followed suit briefly. Teoh and Togo spike-piledrove Hamada on the arena floor. Teoh and company did several cooperative spots at the expense of Naniwa, including Togo kneeling on his back while Taka and Teoh held him. Teoh gave Naniwa an impressive tornado DDT in the middle of the ring without using the ropes. Togo sentoned Yakushiji for a near fall and gave him a released German suplex for another near fall. The pace quickened and the stretch of hot moves and near falls began. Yakushiji attempted a moonsault but met Taka's knees. Teoh powerbombed Naniwa for a near fall. He went to do that move to Sasuke but Sasuke countered with a huracanrana for a near fall. Sasuke scored a near fall on both Togo and Motegi with an in-ring quebrada. Sasuke gave Taka his uncatchable Asai moonsault. Yakushiji followed that with a tope on Motegi. Delfin and Hamada hit simultaneous tornado DDTs on Teoh and Funaki. Taka belly to belly suplexed Sasuke but Sasuke then hit a quebrada for a near fall. Taka hit a top rope missile dropkick followed by a springboard superquebrada on Sasuke. After more spots and near falls, Motegi powerbombed Yakushiji and pinned him at 22:27. Excellent final five minutes. ****1/2
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